The Dark Sword
by phleganshnoogle
Summary: CH43 UP! Link is the Hero of Time, the Hero of Termina, and now he's about to expand his repertoire. With some help from five new friends he will become key-bearer, savior of life as they know it, and maybe even a psychologist ch9 reference :P
1. The Hero

**A/n: This is a very interesting story. It will get a lot better though, so don't worry. : )

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To those who are familiar…

Hyrule is once again at peace. Although Ganon was actually destroyed in the future, his connection to the other realm affected his past too, pulling him into the gap between dimensions in both times. Only the princess and Link knew the real reason as to Ganondorf's sudden disappearance. Then there were the sages, those of whom awakened in the past as well. They too knew of Links little secret. The young hero of time returned to his home in Kokiri forest. Although he had returned to live as a Kokiri once more, after losing the ability to travel through time, the truth of his heritage became evident over those years, as he grew older and his friends remained forever young. 8 long years passed by him, and he grew into the man he knew and regretted that he would become. Though the Kokiri still accepted Link as one of their own, he began to feel more and more like an outsider. His journeys away from his forest home became more frequent. But he only grew more and more restless, wishing there were something… something more…

To those who are not…

Link is a great hero who has already been on many crusades with his trusted fairy, Navi. He has saved Hyrule, traveling through time to do so, and saved a land called Termina only a year after. This hero was blessed by the goddesses with great courage, and will forever have their blessing.

Link's birth place is currently unknown, but he was adopted by the Deku tree at a very young age, and was raised a Kokiri (they are children of the forest). The Kokiri never age, but Link, not being of their kind would, and did. After his first adventure in which he saved Hyrule, the land of the three goddesses, Link returned to the forest only to find that he didn't belong. The truth of his heritage became evident over many years, as he grew older and his friends remained forever young. 8 long years passed by him, and he grew into the man he knew and regretted that he would become. Though the Kokiri still accepted Link as one of their own, he began to feel more and more like an outsider. His journeys away from his forest home became more frequent. But he only grew more and more restless, wishing there were something… something more…

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**Chapter 1: The Hero**

Six stories will link together, each different, but each very much the same. One of which is the all too familiar story of The Hero of Time. In the great land of Hyrule, a world in itself, Link has climbed mountains, dove deep into the unknown waters of Lake Hylia, traveled through the uncharted forests, suffered the heat of the desert, warded off the dead, and had even traveled through time. But even after such adventures as these he still felt his life was inadequate in some way.

A sweet tune echoed out from the forest. On a stump a man with blonde hair and green tunic played the melodies of the forest on an ocarina while a little blue fairy danced around him. Two little Kokiri appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, and approached him.

"Link?" Called a small girl. Her blonde hair was pulled out of her face by a green band. The man on the stump stopped his playing to listen, his face emotionless but at the same time welcoming.

"Will you come to the Blooming of the Deku tonight?" She asked. The little blue fairy stopped her dance and circled around the girls' heads.

"Of course we'll come." The little fairy said. This came to no surprise. Navi often answered for Link, in fact he barely ever spoke, and some might even say never. Many of the Kokiri believed that he was embarrassed of the deep voice he now had. They had heard of such an aging process in Hylians, but that was only a rumor.

"We've never missed one yet. Have we?" Navi asked.

"Okay, we'll see you there. We have to go tell the others." The two girls giggled and blushed as they turned to leave. Link tried to give his best smile as he bid farewell to the girls. As he saw the small shine of their fairies leave his sight, his smile turned into an exasperated frown.

"It's really strange how all of the Kokiri girls have grown a crush on you, huh Link?" Navi asked rather bluntly. Link rolled his eyes and sighed.

"Uh huh…" he grunted then went back to his playing.

The forest had changed. Now that Saria, one of the more beloved of the Kokiri and Link's dearest friend, had disappeared, there would be a Kokiri every now and then that would go out in search of her, only to find their own demise, for any Kokiri who would leave the forest would die almost instantly. Of course this didn't happen very often. Link would normally find them before they traveled too far, but he wasn't always there. So to compensate for the sudden loss of the forest children, the Deku tree sprout, which was now almost fully grown, would bring to life a new Kokiri through the blossoming of a flower. The Blooming of the Deku Tree was a beautiful and joyous ceremony, but there was also the burial ceremony, one that was beautiful yet sad. The old Deku Tree had become the sacred burial ground of the Kokiri.

Link stopped playing suddenly, listening intently to his surroundings. Navi stopped too, after realizing there was no more music. Link could sense a certain presence, as if something had just awoken. He stood up, climbed to the top of a tree, and looked into the distance.

"Link? Why are you up there? Didn't you fall last time?" Navi called out. He simply ignored her ramblings of "Hehe… that was pretty funny…" He looked out even farther than the boundaries of Hyrule, and strangely enough he could see the coast of Termina, a world he thought in an entirely other dimension.

To make matters more peculiar, there was a strange island that appeared through the mist, one that he did not remember. He had a certain feeling that perhaps he wasn't to see it until now. But for what reasons? He did not know.

"Link! Where is my pa- Wow…." Navi mumbled as she flew up, dodging tree branches. "I've never seen that thingy before…" Link nodded absently as he stared out.

He could hardly see it at first, but after time passed by, he found that it grew more and more visible. There was a strange smoke that had settled around what looked to be somewhat of a volcano, but much larger. The island was mountainous with few forests, but he could vaguely see rivers weaving between the mountains. What was odd though, was the fact that the air around that island seemed to be a strange reddish color, as if on fi-

"HEY!!!" Navi squeaked, interrupting Link's thoughts. "Isn't the blossoming soon?" He nodded, irritated, and turned to look back at the island. But it seemed to have disappeared altogether, as if he was simply dreaming. Shrugging it off, Link jumped out of the tree and ran towards the Deku grove.

Joyful music floated through the air as the Kokiri danced around a large bud growing from the Deku tree. This dancing would last until nightfall when the bud would finally bloom, introducing another Kokiri into the world. Link of course didn't dance, but Navi seemed to be enjoying herself as she twirled to the music of the Kokiri, but Link couldn't be merry right now. There was something wrong, maybe the island was at fault, or maybe that was just a completely different adventure. All Link knew was that there was evil in the air, and an island that had remained hidden from his sight and knowledge had just appeared to him for reasons unknown.

More proof that something was wrong soon showed itself. A beautiful dove swooped down to perch on the rock next to Link. A small piece of paper hung on a string attached to its leg. The paper bore the royal crest of Hyrule. Link tore it off and the dove instantly flew away. These messenger birds were either extremely well trained or had some kind of magic attached to them for they would always be able to find Link wherever he was. He began to read the note as Navi flew over to see what Link was holding.

"What? What is that?" Navi asked while she swirled around Link's hat to read the note.

-Urgent-

The princess requests that you The Hero of Time help Hyrule once more and seek the reason behind the attacks on Castletown citizens. There have been several recent reportings of massacres by the Gerudos in the desert and now we ask you to help stop them. Please Link you are our only hope.

Forever in you debt,

Princess Zelda

Link sighed. He knew that Urgent was always code for 'leave immediately.' He then grunted as Navi explained to the protesting Kokiri why they must go now.

"Man you're always their only hope, you know they should probably get some other people to be one of their hopes so they like have an alternative or something because this is really—hey! Wait up!" Navi squeaked as she flew after Link. The little fairy then hid herself in his hat and found a place to sleep for the journey to Gerudo Valley.

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**A/n: Please R&R!**


	2. The Interruption

**A/n: Thank you very much for reviewing, you input was very appreciated and I hope you continue to voice your every opinion. I decided to cram three chapters together( even though they could be separated into different chapters) since they aren't really about Link and many people will probably stop reading wondering, "where did he go?" which is perfectly understandable. Link is very awesome. But these interruptions will add people who will be a crucial part of the plot and therefore must be added in this interruption as one chapter, chapter 2. **

**As told to you in the very first sentence of the story, 6 lives will be linked together (please excuse the unintentional bad pun, if you did not catch the horribly bad pun, please disregard this remark).This interruption will explain the origin of three of those five, there should only be two interruption chapters total if there are more than one. Now for the Interruption.

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**Chapter 2: The Interruption**

It is hardly anyone's concern as to what and where the following are. Link is the Hero of Time, and he shall always hold that sacred title, but the forces of fate wish to include more than just him. There will be three listed in this interruption from the story of our Hero, and each will play a dire role. Keep in mind that Link is in no hurry to reach his destination, and the following events will occur beforehand and all interruptions are occurring simultaneously. But it is only a matter of time before fate will bring them all together, even if they are worlds apart.

**Interruption 1: The Lost**

'Where is this place… and why am I here?' wondered a girl standing in a wasteland that lay before the desert. Brown hair that was pulled to the top of her head seemed strange yet familiar to her, the clothing she wore was foreign yet left her with the sense of deja' vu. A strange feeling this was, it is both strange and frightening to wake up and not remember who you were or where you are. All you knew was that you were. You lived, you spoke and you felt as any other normal human would to your knowledge, although you couldn't remember any other human or animal, or where exactly you had acquired this knowledge. You simply knew it as being factual as you knew that you had to breathe. But this left her to be known as nameless.

Nameless got off of the ground slowly, finding that she was rather dizzy and light headed. After the wave of blindness, from a sudden rush of blood to the brain, she found that she was on a road. It was not a paved road. To any eye from afar it would look more like a trench than a road, but the girl could see many footprints indicating that it had been used as a path. There were also several hoof prints in the dirt. However, at this point the girl had no idea which direction to go to find civilization. The footprints in the dirt led in both directions, so now she simply had to choose. The path was on a slight incline so she decided it would be best to travel downhill considering her current state.

She stumbled down the path until she saw what she thought were signs of civilization. There were voices coming from somewhere near her and Nameless thought she could see buildings built into the sides of a cliff. The girl sat up on a rock so she could see where she was. She was glad to see that there really were buildings in the cliff, but all of her hopes that she would be able to receive aid there were dashed as she saw several red-headed women struggling to pull someone inside. They violently beat the person on the back, but the girl couldn't see the prisoner's head because they had thrown a bag over it.

Nameless realized that seeking help here would be too much of a risk. She was in no condition to defend herself and she certainly didn't want to be beaten. Moving on was her only choice. She found what she deemed the exit to this dreadful place and, as quietly as she could, left. Lucky for her, the women were far too involved with keeping their unruly prisoner that they neither noticed nor heard her.

Just around a curve in the path she found a bridge and next to it a sign, giving her direction.

-Gerudo valley 

-Hyrule field 

Neither of the names rang a bell, but now she knew that she had somehow ended up in Gerudo valley, going across the bridge would take her to Hyrule field, which would hopefully be a much friendlier place. Maybe that was where she came from, and she could be recognized, but these were only hopeful thoughts. She was more than likely going to wander the fields aimlessly, searching for something to help her remember herself.

**Interruption 2: The Hopeful**

A little old man paced the floors of his laboratory. Large aquariums filled the room with several types of strange fish. He stroked his white beard and mumbled impatiently as he waited for something or someone. Several bottles and flasks stood in a strange order on a table, as an unfinished science experiment. Now he was waiting for the final ingredient. The small Bunsen burner was turned on low, just slightly boiling a green liquid.

He looked at his watch again and swiftly got up to look out the window. A smile grew across his face as he heard a splash. A girl crawled nimbly out of the water onto a platform that sat at the bottom of a ladder that led to the little laboratory. She wrung out her long copper hair and pulled up a dripping bag. The scientist inside began to laugh with excitement as he threw open the door. The old man would have attempted the ladder if the girl hadn't already been halfway up it.

"It wasn't easy, but I got them." The girl said as she crawled up to the final platform that the lab was settled on. The man quickly grabbed the dripping bag from her, paying no attention to the girl as she nearly fell back down the ladder, but she simply smiled and pulled herself back up. She knew he meant no harm and was only caught up in his work as he usually was.

The girl followed the old man through the door and was just in time to see him pull out the large sphere that was inside the canvas bag. He put it on the table next to the experiment and cut off a sliver of the outer skin on the ball. After smashing it into a fine goo and adding some other ingredients, he put it into the green mixture that sat boiling on the Bunsen burner. A few moments later the liquid turned blue.

"Ah," The scientist said, very pleased with his creation. "Success. Now all it has to do is cool and we can deliver it to the Zoras."

"Lulu will be so relieved. Mikau has been sick for nearly two weeks. I'm sure they will be very grateful, Lucian." The girl said. Lucian was suddenly reminded of her work as well.

"By the giants, Naomi. How do you do it?" He asked rather bluntly. The girl blushed and slightly laughed. She shrugged in modesty but smiled in pride. Lucian continued, "Eel eggs are so difficult to come by. I was worried sick that you had been eaten, gobbled up. Your mother would have had my head."

"It wasn't that hard." Naomi said. A strange habit she had, to try and make herself seem low and unimportant. "All you had to do was ask, I mean anyone could have gotten it."

"But you did and that's all that matters." Lucian said. Naomi smiled and nodded. She was content with this response, neither pleased nor displeased, just content.

It was only moments later when the old man poured the medicine into another bottle and sealed it for transportation. Naomi tucked it into her bag and went back out.

"Now don't be a stranger here. If you come back tomorrow I will have another task that needs doing if you're interested." He said as he waved goodbye.

"I'll be back when I bring the rupee's from the Zora's." Naomi said. Running these mindless errands was actually quite fun to her. She dove into the water and began to swim around the crest of rocky shore and towards Zora's hall.

Naomi was greeted by finned arms and was held close in an embrace just after she crawled up onto the platform. She stood rigidly waiting for him to release. Her nose wrinkled as she smelled the strong and unfavorable smell of fish, but in an attempt to be polite she patted him on the back. His strong embrace finally lifted and he smiled at Naomi.

"Ummm, hi, Gangor." Naomi said as she tried to break this awkward moment. "I'm just delivering this to Lulu, then my mother wants me home to help swab the deck."

"Okay." He said in an overly friendly manner. "Maybe you can stay and chat some other day, or I could meet you at your mother's and…"

"No!" Naomi almost screamed but she tried to keep herself from hurting her fish friend's feelings. "You know how my mom is. The pirates are still a little sore about the whole Pirate Zoran war, so I think it would be best if I just came here." Truth engraved in a lie, although the pirates were sore about it they wouldn't be inhospitable to any Zora.

"See you another time." She said and held out her hand before she could be smothered in another hug. They shook hands and bid farewell to one another. Naomi breathed out in relief that she was able to escape that conversation so easily. It wasn't that she hated Gangor, it's just that she didn't like how close he would attempt to get to her. He had once even proposed a marriage, but Naomi was able to escape that one because of her pirate blood. Telling him 'it would break my mother's heart' was easier for him to understand than 'I can only think of you as my fishy friend.'

Naomi finally entered Lulu's room. Instantly her leg was attacked by a miniature Lulu, also known as Lulu the third. More squeals flooded the room as the other five Zora children saw their new visitor. The seventh was lying in bed. Lulu senior got up from her sick child's side to welcome Naomi, and hopefully receive the medicine.

"Hello dear. Go play in the pool children." Lulu said in a melodic voice, shooing the squealing children. Her motherly command was followed by a great hug. Naomi sighed in relief that her friend Lulu didn't smell of fish, but instead of sweet water lilies.

"I have brought the medicine." Naomi said quickly as their embrace broke. "The doctor wishes fifty ruppee's for it, but if you need I am sure I can collect that amount."

"No, no" Lulu senior said. "I have plenty of money left from our group the Indigo-gos. There would be plenty more coming in too if Mikau hadn't suddenly vanished."

"Speaking of which, how is _your _little Mikau Jr.?" Naomi asked as she began to dig through her bag for the medicine. She suddenly became aware of her drippiness from the swim, and blushed in embarrassment of her puddle on the floor. The Zoras would instantly dry off, the water would simply roll down their pale blue skin, but Naomi was of pirate blood and her hair would continuously drip for at least half an hour before it dried. The pirate girl finally found the wet jar of blue medicine and handed it over to Lulu.

"He's still feverish. I'm so glad it's finally here, I was getting so worried." The mother said as she grabbed a deku nut cup and began filling it with fresh water. "Do I mix it with his food?"

"No, actually you're supposed to pour about two drops into his drink every morning and every evening. If the fever doesn't go down within a week than Lucian will need to give him a stronger treatment." Naomi said. Lulu mixed two drops into the cup as directed and lifted up the sick child's head.

"Open you mouth Mikau and drink." The mother ordered. "This will help make you feel better." She pressed the cup to his pale blue lips, lips paler than a Zora's lips should be. As ordered, he drank. His dark eyes opening only slightly.

"I will leave him to rest, my mother is probably worrying about me right now." Naomi said as she looked fondly at the caring mother nursing her child. "I will return in a week to see how he's doing." Lulu smiled a good bye as she gently laid Mikau junior's head back onto his pillow.

Naomi felt the water rush by her as she flew through the ocean back to her home. She glided to the little opening she had found some time after she was allowed out of her hiding place. It was a cave, deep underneath the water, which led to a small opening in the enclosure of water within the Pirate walls. Naomi climbed up onto the rocky platform and began to dry herself off as much as possible. She wrung the water out of her hair and clothes and then grabbed a towel she had left on the rock to try and further dry herself.

There were no more drips but now her hair was curled in strings around her face and her damp clothes clung to her slender body. This was at least enough to be allowed on one of the Pirate ships. Naomi then hailed a boat that began to pass by.

"Where have you been all day?" The guard asked angrily as she helped the girl climb onto the boat. "Your mother has been worried sick, not to mention Aveil."

"I was just swimming." Naomi said, she knew this guard. She still seemed to be living in the time of the Pirate Zoran War.

"Swimming in the ocean? There are eels out there and worse, Zoras! They could have kidnapped you!" The redheaded pirate ranted as she sailed the boat to the little dock leading to the interior of their fortress. Naomi blocked out the rest of the rants about the Zoras, and let her mind wander for the rest of the short voyage, nodding and smiling every now and again to make it appear as if she were listening.

The boat finally pulled up to the little platform and Naomi stepped out, relieved that the seemingly long voyage was over. But she knew that this would not be the end of hearing rants about her going out into the open ocean, or the Zoras. If Aveil had been upset about her leaving, then she knew that she would be in trouble.

**Interruption 3: The Mystic**

The scene has changed to an island near the home of the young pirate girl, one that our hero has just recently seen, but what he didn't see was that one would have to drop at least one thousand feet before reaching the ocean from its beaches. A mist continued to hide it, for the most part, and one nervous inhabitant stood overlooking the high shores. A woman who looked to be middle-aged asked with a raised eyebrow. She was somewhat short with knee-length boots on and her dark hair pulled into a braid behind her back. Her eyes were a sharp blue color, the kind of eyes that could scare anybody into silence. These eyes continued to stare off into the distance as a young girl approached her from behind.

"You're really late… What were you thinking?" came the question in an irate manner.

"I'm sorry… It's just that there's been a lot on my mind lately…" The girl was much taller than the woman, but she did not hold the same authority in appearance as did her older companion. This girl was lean, but not delicate, and her posture showed an air of confidence and strength. Her hair was incredibly long, tied back with a ribbon that allowed many locks of golden-brown to frame her face. She had a striking appearance, her eyes being fiery red. She continued what she was saying.

"So, what's the news? When am I to leave, to find Ignus?" She looked rather stressed and anxious. The older woman looked at her, her eyes slightly softening.

"Your mother told me that she wanted you to go ahead and try to find him today… he _is _your responsibility, being your dragon." She paused at the look of relief that spread over the girl's face. "But, she also told me that it was decided that you must also find the lost stone. It has been gone for a few days now, and we can't afford to lose it for too long. We believe that Ignus might have it, considering that he has also been gone for that long." The girl sighed heavily.

"Why is it that I must have such responsibility put on my shoulders? Everybody knows that I'm not one to trust with important business like this!" She sighed again. The older looked at her sternly.

"Well it's about time you took some initiative, Amy! You're already eighteen years old!" She groaned. "Look, it's not like we're throwing you out there. We're just trying to find that jewel. And, as of now, you are the best person to go do it, and the only other dragon rider we haven't sent out in search of it already!" Amy nodded dully.

"I know, Mrs. Cassidy… I'm sorry." She looked at the ground, her eyes tired. "I'm just not so sure that I'm ready to do something like this." Mrs. Cassidy raised an eyebrow.

"Well, you better begin to believe you're ready. Besides, I think you are." She smiled slightly.

"Alright." Amy murmured. "But how long might this take?" The older woman gave her a look.

"It shouldn't take more than a few days. But we packed you extra clothes just in case." Amy nodded; hope springing in her heart for some reason. Perhaps this was her chance to get away from her life for a few days! It wasn't exactly a vacation, but at least it was far away from the monotonous life that she currently held.

Amy stood alone, her face shrouded in thought. She looked over the cliff, out over the long ocean that lay below them, and began admiring the island's qualities, how it had taken to flight just as its dragons did.

Many people wondered about this phenomenon, but none could accurately prove what caused this. The island had been hidden for centuries because of the sacred things it held, or rather, sacred jewel said to . It also was the home of the dragons. They lived here; this was their land. None of the people of Hyrule or Termina had ever heard of them, until Volvagia came.

Volvagia was banished from the island many years ago. Amy could remember stories from her childhood, of her enraged form shooting off to Hyrule. No one ever knew what happened to her, only that she mysteriously vanished shortly after. It was odd, but they never thought too much about it.

"Are you ready?" A voice broke her from her thoughts. Amy turned around to see a boy, maybe around fourteen, standing behind her. He held her rather small bag under his arm and wore large gloves on his hands. He had brown hair and blue eyes that looked very intelligent. She smiled at him.

"Alright, Terrin." She ruffled his hair. He was a friend of hers since childhood; they grew up together.

But then Amy stopped and looked at the creature behind him. It was a very beautiful dragon with large wings that shined like golden feathers. She had a small head and friendly orange eyes. A long tail curled around her feet. Her name was Daruitha, and she was a dragon of transportation, now driven by a fourteen year old since all the other riders, all masters of disguise and the secret ways of hiding, were out trying to find the sacred stone.

Amy walked up to the dragon and stroked its nose. It made a strange purring noise when she touched it, almost like a cat's. She then spoke.

"I believe you two should hurry up and get on my back; the ride is a long one." Terrin nodded and jumped up on the dragon's back, holding onto reins that attached to her wings. It was an interesting system when riding a dragon, because even though the dragon knew where to go, it had to be steered for balance.

Amy also sat on Daruitha's back, her scales smooth and welcoming. She stared off into the sky as the great dragon lifted herself off of the ground with her great wings. Little did she know what was to become of her seemingly menial task.

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**A/n: Were the new characters bearable? Please R&R!**


	3. Pesky Gerudos

**A/n: Thank you for reviewing. It was very much appreciated. You're comments are very encouraging. We are back to Link in this chapter. I hope you enjoy it.

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**Chapter 3: Troublesome Gerudos**

Epona's hooves stepped lightly across the little wooden bridge. The old planks creaked beneath her weight. No one was in sight. The sun rode across the sky from afternoon to evening as Link made his way into the valley. Link had stopped by castle town to buy some arrows before he went to the Gerudos fortress in the desert. It had been nearly seven years since he had been able to go there, and he was thinking of trying his hand at their archery game to see if he still had the skills for it.

Soon the young Hylian came to the all too familiar mountains of the Gerudo home, but something did seem wrong. Is it really possible that Zelda wasn't exaggerating this time? Ever since she had been right about Ganandorf, every time she had a dream she made sure Link checked it out. So now Link was running to the Gerudos, but strangely enough, he felt as though he was forgetting something.

It hadn't been very long since he had seen Nabooro, but he couldn't remember actually going to Gerudo valley since the adventure seven years ago, but now it was too late to turn back. Link had mindlessly ridden into the center of their home, but strangely enough there were no Gerudos in sight.

"Link, I'm scared, aren't there supposed to be Gerudo guards right—MMph!" Navi screamed as she was suddenly caught in a butterfly net. Epona reared, and Link felt several ropes wrap around him. He hit the ground when these ropes grew taut. Seconds later everything became dark.

Link mumbled and groaned. The annoying fairy was poking him again, no. She was shaking his shoulder. Link couldn't take it at the moment. He was too sore and tired from whatever had happened.

"Go away Navi, let me sleep." He said, his voice a little rough from lack of use. Much to his surprise, instead of the squeaky voice of the fairy, Link heard a deep voice that was nearly as rough as his own.

"Who's Navi?"

Link's eyes shot open. His first sight was of a boy of small build, with dark black hair that fell over piercing green eyes. Link backed away, not sure of what to think. The boy too backed away, he was slightly scared by Link's frigidness.

"What were you doing?" Link asked suspiciously. The last time someone had been poking him when he was asleep they had stolen his ocarina, and that was a pain to get back, but that had been a mischievous looking skull kid with a cursed mask, this guy looked innocent enough.

"I just wanted to wake you up, why else would I be shaking your shoulder?" The boy said in his defense.

"For what?" Link continued after a short pause. He wasn't used to carrying on a conversation himself for that long. Normally Navi would have cut in by now… where was that accursed fairy?

"If you didn't get up soon the Gerudos were going to bury you alive, well they would have just assumed you were dead since you haven't moved in nearly ten hours."

"Sorry, I haven't had sleep in a long time, but wait, what? Gerudos?" Link exclaimed, he suddenly realized he was leaning against metal bars. Looking around he found that he and the boy were in one of the jail cells. Link immediately remembered what he had forgotten.

"Curses! When I went back in time I forgot that I hadn't become their leader…" Link said to himself.

"What?"

"Nothing… Thinking out loud… So any way…" Link said roughly, but he couldn't think of anything to say after that, he had never carried on a conversation before, but he didn't have to since the boy decided to break the awkward silence first. He arched an eyebrow and crossed his arms.

"Man they must have hit you on the head hard…" The boy said. "Now who is Navi?" he repeated.

"Oh, um." Link said, happy that this was an easy question. "She's my fairy, she normally talks for me but where is she?"

"Oh! Does she look kind of like a little blue fluff ball with wings?"

"Yeah! Have you seen her?" Link asked, actually happy that Navi was safe. The boy pointed to a box that sat in a corner behind Link.

"She was originally in a jar, but she didn't shut up, so they kept putting boxes over her until there wasn't anymore noise." The boy said. "That fairy of yours is inside 25 boxes… I counted…"

Link couldn't think of anything to say. He wasn't sure whether to laugh or sit there with his mouth gaping and his eyes wide. He decided just to sit there because he wasn't sure how his laugh sounded, and he didn't want to scare the person whom he was seemingly stuck with for a while. Lucky for the hero of time, he didn't need to carry on a conversation, for they heard the sound of the Gerudo guards come marching in. The boy signaled for Link to keep quiet, which normally wouldn't be necessary, but he didn't know Link.

"So he's awake." Said the harsh voice of the red-headed soldier. Her voice greatly contrasted the one that awoke after she said this.

"Who Link?" cried a very muffled voice from inside the crates. "LINK!! I'M IN HERE!! bonk bonk IF YOU CAN HEAR ME GRUNT ONCE!!! IF NOT GRUNT TWICE!! bonk IT'S REALLY DARK IN HERE!! LINK??!!?!"

The Gerudo soldiers let out an exasperated moan. The boy decided to say something when it seemed Link wouldn't.

"It's his fairy, I'm sure he would know how to keep it quiet." He said as he pointed to Link. The Gerudo soldier bent down and looked Link in the eyes.

"Is it true? Can you shut her up?"

bonk "—LINK! I DON'T HEAR YOU GRUNTING!!"

They all ignored the last comment by the fairy. Link didn't say anything, but he nodded. His eyes were still a little wide from the concept that they could hear her through 25 crates and a bottle.

"How do we keep her quiet?" The soldier asked as she flinched when Navi continued shouting.

"Let her out…" Link said calmly. "She doesn't do anything besides hover above my head any way."

The Gerudo soldier stared in disbelief for a few moments, but the noise of the fairy was obviously getting close to driving her mad.

"Let it out!" The guard ordered. Two other soldiers appeared and began opening the various crates.

"See, one… two… three…" The boy began, but when he received an annoyed glare from Link he became silent. True, Link did silently count out 25 boxes before the Gerudos finally pulled out a bottle with the bouncing blue fairy in it.

"OH! There you are Link!" She said. They undid the cap and Navi immediately floated over to Link and began floating above his head.

For a few moments the Gerudo soldiers looked close to tears, but then a few commands were barked at them to put away the crates, and they were off doing their tasks and the room was once again empty of the soldiers. The boy then turned back to Link.

"That was amazing." He said.

"What was?

"What was?" Navi and Link said simultaneously. Navi shook in surprise.

"Link you're talk—MMph!" Navi said, but Link grabbed her before she could get too loud. They heard rapid footsteps from above but they settled back down after a short silence.

"I'll talk for now Navi since I'm a lot quieter than you are." Link said in a whisper. Navi shook up and down—her version of a head nod. "Anyway what?"

"Oh," The boy continued. "She had just been so loud during the entire time that you were asleep, and all they had to do was let her out."

Link smiled and Navi blushed slightly, but then she went to rest in Link's hat.

"She does that." Link whispered when the boy looked alarmed. He smiled warmly.

"My name's Arian." He said. Another silence followed this, then Link realized it was his turn to say something.

"I'm Link…" Neither of them shook hands, but Link attempted to curve his lips up into a smile that might not scare him.

"This is my first time here, do you know how we get out?" Arian asked rather jokingly, but they both knew that they should start working on a plan to get out of there.

"I have been captured by them before, but back then, or rather in the other time… never mind… I have been here before but when I was last captured, all of the cells were full and they threw me in a hole so that was easy to hook-shot out of." Link said, he then began to examine the room. He poked his hat. The little blue fairy popped out.

"What is it now?" She asked in a voice quieter than it had been.

"It's time to patrol Navi." Link said, the little blue fairy was very happy to be assigned a task and flew through the bars and circled the room several times. She then returned to Link.

"There doesn't seem to be anything particular about this room, I don't even see a place that you can bomb it. Even if you did get out, you would have to face three guards when you go to your right and two on the exit to your left." Navi said quietly.

"Thanks Navi… that was disheartening, but helpful." Link said.

"No problem Link." Navi said and then flew back into his hat.

"So do you have anything that could help us at least get out of this cage?" Arian asked when it seemed Link wasn't going to say anything. The hero of Time began to search the many pockets that were hung on a leather strap across his chest.

In a few moments he had pulled out several arrows, some bombs, deku nuts and some deku sticks. His better weapons and gadgets such as the hook shot he decided to keep hidden, just in case Arian was not as he seemed.

Link laid all of these things out in a long line without even glancing at Arian. But the boy grabbed his attention as he exclaimed, "Holy crap! How did you fit all of that in your small pockets!"

This time Navi was the one to speak for Link, "Never underestimate the powers of the Kokiri." She said. Link looked up from his work and grinned.

"Okay…" Arian said. "That's cool. So anyway, I think I can use that bomb."

"But that bomb isn't powerful enough to work against those bars or these walls." Navi stated, she then popped back into Link's hat.

"Don't worry, I know. I have a different plan in mind. Just give me a bomb." Arian said. Link hesitantly handed the bomb over to him. Immediately Arian began tinkering with the top. Link's eyes widened and he considered reaching for his shield, but at the time Link expected an explosion the top popped off.

"No worries, I used to build these all the time. I know what I'm doing, but it might take a while to build what I want." Arian said when he saw Link jump. "You can go back to sleep if you want."

Link shrugged and then just began to stare out the bars. Arian didn't care that Link didn't give him an answer since he was too preoccupied with his new project.

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**A/n: Remember to R&R: )**


	4. The Disruption

**A/n: Here is the last interruption, known as the disruption, that will occur before the plot truly kicks off and they all meet. But this interruption is a doozy (the biggest chapter that will ever occur). Much will happen, Naomi and Amy will arrive in Hyrule, and Nameless will be named... sub plots will begin, etc. Link is meanwhile staring out of his little cell while Arian is tinkering with the bomb… their fate will be revealed in the next chapter. I hope you like this chapter Hyperfoxchild. You seem to be the only one reading it and you are AWESOME for that. I shall try to read something you posted as thanks. I'm so glad you liked it, and as heads up, Naomi and Amy are both in Termina from the game Majora's mask. Yeah, that game could never beat Ocarina of Time, but our plot is going to need to use that world's ancient history for a little something to be revealed much later. Keep reading please!

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**Chapter 4: The Disruption**

The Hero of Time may be stranded in a cell, for the moment anyway, but things are still moving and stirring elsewhere. A presence will soon make itself known, but for now I will revert back to three of the six who must be known. There are many disruptions occurring throughout Hyrule and another land that will soon lead to something good, but for now, they are merely disruptions. So this disruption begins with the three alone, and will end with two together.

**Disruption I: Pirate Problems**

Naomi stepped shyly into the large chamber of Aveil. Aveil herself sat in her large, soft throne while her guards stood around her. When the pirate leader saw that Naomi had entered she snapped her fingers and the guards left the room. Naomi shuddered as she felt a breeze, caused by the swift movement of the departing pirates. Aveil sat up in her chair and smiled, amused by Naomi's fear.

When the guards were all gone Aveil spoke.

"Are you afraid, dear child?" Aveil laughed. Naomi gripped her upper arm tight when she heard Aveil's voice.

"To speak truth…" Naomi began, "I am a little, I mean… If you want me to be…"

Much to Naomi's surprise, all Aveil did was laugh. Not an evil laugh, but the one that she would use just after a good joke.

"Now what are you afraid of?"

"I don't want to be… exiled…" Naomi said. This was a constant fear of hers. Normally when a pirate was unexpectedly called to Aveil they would be exiled.

"Why would we exile you?" Aveil asked. Naomi began to breathe again, but then her mind wondered if this was just a mind trap, to make her feel relieved and then answer, telling them both exactly why they really were going to exile her. She could have just said she was nervous, but Naomi had to answer now.

"Because I'm not a real pirate… am I?"

This answer surprised both Naomi and Aveil. Naomi had said it, but she had been thinking about the fact that she had been swimming with the Zoras, she had also constantly been gone, days at a time. Aveil didn't say anything at first, too stunned by Naomi's response, but she took on a different character; one that was very strange for Aveil.

"Dear child," She began in an almost motherly tone. "True, you are not blessed with our red hair and our skin is dark while yours is nearly as pale as a Zora, but we would never exile you because you do not look exactly like us. The only reason I called you here is because I have a question."

Naomi breathed, but the fact that she had admitted to both of them that she didn't think she was a real pirate still bothered her.

"What is it?" Naomi asked, pushing aside her troubles. Aveil got off of her luxurious couch and approached Naomi. Her gloved hand wrapped around Naomi's slender shoulders, causing Naomi to stiffen.

"How do I begin…? Your mother and I are slightly worried about you." Aveil said.

"Worried?"

"Yes, we've heard you've somehow managed to travel to another world. Is it true Naomi? That you would keep something as strange as this from your sister pirates?"

Naomi froze, she had found something strange in the waters near the beaver's dam, but what could she say? If it really were a portal to another world, what would the pirates do with it? She did love her sisters dearly, but they were pirates.

"I found something strange, but I didn't think much of it… I suppose that's why I forgot to mention it—It turned out to be a bizarre project of those beavers." Naomi quickly said—another lie. The second in one day, why was her character suddenly changing? Ever since she had gone through that portal or cave if it were, she had felt… strange.

Aveil seemed satisfied with this response, but Naomi was suspicious of how quickly Aveil had let it drop.

"I'm sorry dear; I shouldn't listen to the rumors of the sea." Aveil said as she pushed Naomi out the door. Naomi turned back around to see it slam in her face.

'Strange,' Naomi thought to herself. Aveil had never before wanted anything to do with her, because she hadn't been born with the natural characteristics of a pirate. She may have been wearing the clothing of a pirate, but she had never been accepted as one of them.

Naomi shrugged it off and then remembered why she had returned to the pirate's fortress in the first place. Quickly she ran to her room and pulled out fifty rupees from her pillow. By the time the sun had reached its afternoon position Naomi was out again, swimming back to Lucian's sea lab.

Naomi quickly scaled the ladder for the second time that day. She had been out early this morning for the eel egg. The eels fed before the sun came up, and Naomi was there just after, so they would be too full to consider eating her, not that this would be a problem. Naomi knew how to handle many sea animals without any fear of them attacking her. Now she was out again, paying Lucian for his potion. She could get Lulu to pay her back soon, but she knew that Lucian would want the rupees sooner than Naomi would.

The pirate walked casually through the door to find Lucian humped over writing paper and pen. He was vigorously writing something and didn't bother to look up to see who had entered. Naomi rolled her eyes and decided it was best not to bother him.

She set the rupees down and began to walk out the door, but she stopped abruptly when she heard Lucian yell.

"Hold on Naomi!! I'm almost done!" He shouted. Naomi peeked back inside the door to see him stuffing his papers into a glass bottle.

"There." He said.

"What is that?" Naomi asked, stepping back into the lab.

"Oh this? Do you remember that scientist you said you found? You know—Thrucian I think it was?" Lucian said. Naomi nodded with curiosity.

"If you could, I would like you to deliver this to him." Lucian said as he thrust the bottle into Naomi's hands. "I put some specimen of the sea in it, and I'm hoping that if this Lake Hylia really does exist, I might get some specimen from it for myself as well."

Naomi smiled as she tucked the bottle into her bag. This might be a chance to get away from the pirates for a few days. She now also had an excuse to try to go through it again, and if anyone asked where she was, all Lucian would say is that he had sent her on a little errand. Lucian was a very private man and was constantly suspicious of people, who he assumed might steal his work.

Naomi bid farewell to Lucian and dove back into the waters to head for the beaver's dam.

**Disruption II: The Wandering Ones**

Nameless took long strides up a giant hill of Hyrule field. She was beginning to feel better, after washing at a small pond just past the bridge. She also found that on her hips hung two shining swords. Engraved on their hilt was the only clue to her identity—Aura Arma. She knew it was of another language but she couldn't remember which one, or what it meant.

She reached the top of the hill and looked down at the landscape. It seemed there was a castle, but the drawbridge had been brought up. A volcano was seen near it and then there were giant walls surrounding some type of abode. None of these things were familiar, and what if they were bad, as they were in Gerudo valley?

Nameless decided it would be best to wait for a friendly face to appear, if she grew desperate for food she would hunt someone down, but for now she was not hungry, just tired.

* * *

Naomi reached a waterfall that ran into a deep pool near the beaver's dam. The two furry mammals stood on a ledge and peered down at Naomi as she stepped up to the clear water.

"Naomi!" cried the whiskered face of the younger brother. "Are you here to sing for us today?" The older brother smacked his sibling on the back of the head.

"Of course not you idiot!" It said in its beaver voice. "She's way too busy for that."

Naomi laughed, for some reason they kept confusing her for Lulu's daughter. She didn't know how they could confuse a pirate with a Zora, although, Naomi didn't fit the description of a pirate. Still, the two beavers would often ask Naomi to sing for them, she did once, and she didn't understand why they continued to ask.

Naomi declined from singing today due to her mission to the place called Lake Hylia. She quickly waved a farewell to the beavers and dove into the water. Naomi swam down to the very bottom and looked back into the small, dark hole that had one day appeared far below the waterfall. It was very strange, the first time she went through it, because she hadn't expected the hole to be so deep. She had reached her hand inside, expecting to feel the wall, and she felt the flow of the current push her all the way in. It wasn't long before she had opened her eyes to a sparkling lake of clear blue water. A house sat on a ledge near where she had awoken. It was this very house that belonged to Thrucian, the scientist to whom she was now delivering a letter.

She sat in front of the little black cavern. This time the pirate girl was a little more hesitant. The darkness of the crevice was intimidating, it was only curiosity that had made her reach into it before, but now she knew what would happen. Was she really traveling to another world? And would she be able to find her way back this time? Naomi pushed away these fears, knowing that if she lingered on them too long she would never be able to gather the courage to swim into the unknown darkness.

Naomi held her breath and placed her hand into the small crevice once more, in hopes that she wouldn't need her courage and she would be able to allow the current to push her through once more. The water did rush up around her, but this time it did not push Naomi through, but instead waited for her to decide whether or not she would willingly partake in swimming blindly into the mysterious opening. Naomi braced herself again and moved onward. A feeling of relief passed over her when she let everything go and passed into the unknown darkness.

**Disruption III: A Dragon's Mistake**

Amy remained as the compass, changing directions several times and leading them to a far and strange land. It was early afternoon and Amy opened her eyes to see the long expanse of green below them. They were above a large wooded area that seemed to go on forever.

She stared down at the forest, her eyes beginning to adjust to the small details that she could see. After a long while, she noticed that there began to be large gaps in the trees, as if there were small meadows in between them. As they grew closer and closer, she saw that the woods were finally beginning to end, as well as their journey.

"Here! He's near here, over the water… possibly." Amy said quickly, snapping her eyes shut. The feeling was a bit hard to determine, since she had lost her focus, but she could walk to Ignus' true position after landing, since it didn't seem that Daruitha had many other landing options.

"That is the great Hylian Lake." Daruitha bellowed. Amy sat up and looked out over Terrin's shoulder to see the great lake in its entirety. Daruitha flapped her wings, willing herself to be faster. "Hold on!" she cried out.

Before Amy had any idea what was happening, she found that they suddenly shot straight down, and the scenery began to grow larger. She quickly grabbed onto Terrin and clung to him fearfully. He chuckled to himself as he steered them down to the upcoming island.

Easing herself onto the ground, Daruitha's carefully let them off of her back. Amy stared at the sight before her.

There was a large tree before them, and a strange platform underneath them. Amy stretched her legs and breathed in the air. It was indistinguishably cold to her lungs. She had grown accustomed to the humid air of her home.

"My! Isn't this a lovely place?" Terrin murmured. There was a large lake that surrounded the island, and it was so clear that you could see all the way to the bottom. There was a small bridge extending from the island that led to an even smaller island. Another bridge connected that island to the mainland. Amy stared in wonder.

The sound of a struggle drew her attention away from the scenery.

"What-…..What's that?" Amy muttered. Suddenly, a rather small dragon fell right on top of her.

"OOF! Ignus!!" She cried, touching the small dragon's head. Ignus immediately began to lick her face happily. Amy let out a muffled yelp.

"Okay! OKAY! I missed you too!!" She pushed him off of her. Terrin was laughing out loud while Daruitha simply stared at them in amusement. Ignus let out a grunt and Amy listened intently. She sat up.

"I'm so happy you found me." Ignus said in choppy words. The dragon was very young, just recently trained by Amy. Though Amy had trained many dragons before, it had been Ignus who became hers when the bond of their heritage had brought them together. Amy comforted the poor dear.

"Why did you leave Ignus?" She asked delicately and slowly so he could understand.

"Man… stole the stone. I had to go after him." Ignus looked off into the distance. "Too many people. I got scared." Amy nodded.

"As you should have been," came her reply. "Where did he go?" She asked Ignus. The little dragon looked back to her.

"He went to a big castle, hid inside the big, stone walls where all the people are."

"How did he get there from our island, or even onto our home?" Terrin queried. Ignus looked down and began crying.

"What, what is it Ignus?" Amy kneeled down beside him. His tears were embers, flaking from his fiery eyes.

"It's Ignus' fault." The small dragon said. "After bedtime, I went exploring, like what Amy said she wanted to do. I wanted to find a safe place we could go to. Where we could explore, but I met the man there, he tricked me into taking him back to the island, and then he stole the jewel." Ignus sobbed. Amy rubbed his head, she couldn't help but feel to blame, with all her nonsensical talk of leaving the island to explore the world around them. She now understood that this world obviously wasn't safe, and these men were obviously treacherous.

"How did he get back off, without anyone noticing?" Terrin asked again. He was frustrated with Ignus, but sympathetic of his sorrow. However, he would beat the poor thing if Ignus had taken this man off the island as well.

"He made a toy. He said he was making it for Amy, but it helped him fly off the island." Ignus sniffed. "I didn't notice until he was very far away, it was late at night, and as soon as I realized the stone gone, I tried to find him."

Terrin nodded slowly. Amy forced on a smile and hugged her Ignus.

"Don't worry, Ignus." Amy comforted, feeling as though she must be as brave as her little dragon, considering this whole ordeal was her fault. "I will retrieve the stone. You just go back with Daruitha and Terrin, no sense in endangering you, I can blend in at least… And…" She turned to Daruitha. "I will… ummm… send out a signal when I've got it. Now go, tell them that I know where it is, but please, don't let them blame Ignus. This was all my fault." Amy said, giving Terrin a hug. Both Terrin and Ignus disagreed, but Amy wouldn't hear of it, she sent them away, promising them that she would be okay. With no time to lose, he simply smiled and got back on Daruitha with Ignus. She quickly lifted off the ground, and before Amy knew it, they were gone.

"Well… I guess that's that…" Amy muttered to herself merely for the sake of self-assurance as she turned towards the small bridge. Ignus had gone after this man without hesitation, and now Amy knew that she had to do the same. She must find that stone and rectify this whole matter.

**Disruption IV: The Other Zoras**

"Dear dear…. What was your name again?" asked the strange scientist at Lake Hylia.

"It's Naomi." The little wet pirate girl said with a smile. "And you are Thrucian, correct?"

"Yes, yes." He said as he opened up the bottle and paid little mind to Naomi standing at the door, her clothes and hair were dripping on his floor.

"My goddess." He said after thoroughly going through the contents of the bottle. "Is it possible?" He asked Naomi, the little girl returned his question with a bewildered look. "I mean, is it possible?!" He asked again only this time shaking Naomi.

"I don't know?!" She exclaimed. "What is possible?" The scientist then starting laughing with joy.

"Dear girl… err… Naomi, I'm sorry I didn't believe you before, you see you wear the clothes of a Gerudo, and they are thieves in these parts." Thrucian said. "But to think that there is really another world out there…" He dreamily looked out the window and explored the possibilities. His eyes then came back to rest on Naomi. "Oh. You dear, you, you said you ran errands for Lucian often yes?"

Naomi nodded her head timidly. Thrucian smiled again, showing his crooked teeth.

"Then you wouldn't mind running a very small one for me would you?"

Naomi shook her head and smiled without exposing her own teeth at all.

"Where to?"

It was only a moment later that Naomi found herself back in the water, heading towards a place Thrucian called Zora Hall. Naomi felt comforted by the fact that even here there were Zoras. In her bag she held a message. It was apparently a prescription that had somehow gotten delivered to Thrucian. There was apparently a Goron, or moron, she wasn't exactly sure what he had said, but either way the moron or Goron needed eye drops.

Naomi found the small Zoran passage in the lake that Thrucian had been talking about. It was surrounded by stone with large pillars jutting from the water, hard to miss. Naomi swam through the dark little passage until light came flooding back to her eyes. Zora hall was beautiful, complete with a long waterfall that filled up the clear pool. The only thing that seemed strange to Naomi was the fact that there were no Zoras. She swam over to a little strip of rock that sloped upwards, acting as a pathway, and began walking. A sign indicating to a shop stood in front of a closed door to the side of the ramp-like rock. Naomi at first thought she could see dark little eyes staring at her behind the thick sheet of glass that stood as a door. She stared a moment longer to see if her visions proved true when she felt the point of a sharp fin touch her back, a painful sensation validated that this could not be a hallucination.

"I should have known you would go straight for our shop." Said an angry Zoran voice.

"I-I… What did I do?" Naomi asked incredibly alarmed.

"The question is what didn't you do? You Gerudo's are all the same." He said grimly. His strong Zoran arm reached around and grabbed Naomi's neck. In panic, the little pirate began to kick and scream, but the Zora had already gotten a good grip on her.

"It's no use fighting Gerudo." He yelled. "Now the king shall decide your fate."

The Zora dragged Naomi up several flights of stairs until he threw her onto a platform. Naomi looked up to see she was at spear point to several other Zoran guards, but what surprised her the most was when she laid eyes upon the largest Zora she had ever seen. He sat proudly atop the ledge to a small waterfall and menacingly eyed Naomi.

"Did you really think you could steal from the Zoras, Gerudo?" He asked in a deep and powerful voice.

"I'm not a Gerudo!" Naomi yelled back, she felt incredibly insulted, never before had she been so maltreated by the Zora. "I am a pirate!"

"And what brings you all the way to our watery home, pirate?" The Zoran King asked with the same overpowering vocals.

"I came with a request from the old man at the sea lab. His note is in my bag."

One of the Zoras, presumable the rude one who had stuck his fin in her back, stepped foreword and began to rummage through her bag. He pulled up the note and showed it to the Zoras around him.

"She speaks truth." He said, seemingly on the side of the frustrated Naomi, but then he took a side that Naomi did not favor. "But this letter could lie. The Gerudos will stop at nothing to get what they want and there is no level of villainous trickery that they have not achieved."

Unfortunately for Naomi the other Zoras began to believe in what this young skeptic was saying, and before Naomi could say a word she began hearing the mutterings of what her punishment might be.

"Do I have no right to speak for myself?" Naomi asked near tears.

"And what could a Gerudo say in her defense? All words that come from their mouths are lies." Said the cynic Zora.

"Is there no test, or trial that I might endure so I can prove I am a friend to Zoras?" Naomi exclaimed. The zealous young crowd muttered amongst themselves. After a long discussion among the Zoras, the king finally spoke.

"There is one challenge that we will allow you to face." He said sternly.

"I'll take it…" Naomi said hesitantly. Why couldn't they just ask Thrucian, send a messenger? Although she thought that the incredulous Zora would probably think of another excuse as to why this wouldn't work. She imagined something like 'she probably has him bribed or 'they are threatening his life for their benefits.' Naomi knew that the only way out of this mess was to face whatever challenge they presented.

"Blindfold her!" The king yelled. Naomi then felt herself being dragged back into the waters, seeing only shades of blue through her opaque blindfold. She saw the shadows of many Zoras swimming alongside her. They set her down at the bottom of some body of water and removed the blindfold, a process which they did very quickly, possibly assuming that she could not breathe underwater.

Naomi saw all of the Zoras standing around and above her, blocking her view of anything around them except for a large underwater opening with a grate as its cover. Several Zoras were now working on removing the metal bars.

"Go in there and seek the blue jewel that once belonged to princess Ruto and bring it back to us. Only a true friend of the Zoras is able to navigate their way through our temple." Said the spunky Zora. He then shoved Naomi through the now open doorway and the little pirate swam up into the temple.

Nameless walked on past the castle to a little river that ran under a bridge. Up several flights of stairs there was a town, so it seemed, but she didn't feel like facing people at the moment. What would she say? Looking up, the lost girl saw an apple tree growing over a fenced ledge. After a quick drink from the river she decided to climb up to the ledge and eat. Soon after her snack she found herself napping in the shade of the tree.

There was the blue shining jewel. After much exploring Naomi was able to finally navigate her way through the temple's multiple passageways to the altar of the Zoran sapphire. Relief flooded Naomi as she stepped towards the glimmering stone. She was fairly sure she remembered how to maneuver her way back out. And that was all she had to do now, grab the stone and leave the temple, hopefully forever.

But something caught her eye, underneath the nearly clear blue gem. It was writing, written by a Zoran hand. The unique curves of their written language were a distinct characteristic of the Zoras. Naomi attempted to decipher the language, remembering the quick lessons that had been given to her by Lulu.

"A symbol of my engagement to the Hero of Time…" Naomi read with staggering diction. "It was he who had saved my life… Ruto!"

"I wonder if the Zoras know this!" Naomi thought. The little pirate girl then retraced her path back to the entrance of the temple.

To the Zoras it was inconceivable that Naomi had actually found the stone. The little, blue fish men smiled and rejoiced at the welcoming of a new friend. Quickly, Naomi was whisked away to Zora's hall. This time the king welcomed her graciously.

"Terribly sorry, my friend, but we Zoras live in hard times. The Gerudo's are enemies to all here, and you, little pirate, are dressed as one." The king began. Naomi found it easy to speak politely this time.

"Many apologies for my outer appearance, but this is the normal attire for my pirate culture, I had no idea that it looked like your hated Gerudo's." She said shyly. The Zora king smiled.

"Then we will provide you with some Zoran clothes so that you are not mistaken again." The king said. He then clapped his hands, which sent two Zoras running off to fetch something. "We have some clothes that might fit you, they were going to be my dear Ruto's, but I am sure she wouldn't mind you borrowing them."

Naomi then remembered the message in the temple at the mention of the princess's name.

"You mean Princess Ruto?" Naomi asked so that her next question would not sound so abrupt. To this the Zoran king affirmed as being true and Naomi continued with her next question. "I found a message from her in the temple, have you seen it?"

The Zoran hall went into an uproar of whispers.

"You mean you didn't see her? But then who gave you the stone?" The Zoran king asked with worry. Naomi stiffened and realized that maybe that wasn't the best thing to ask. Naomi shook her head and then responded to the second question.

"I found it on a pedestal; it was over a plaque that was signed by princess Ruto." Naomi said, her voice faltering from nervousness. A long silence from the king followed Naomi's answer.

"What did it say?" asked one of the Zoras for the king.

"It said… uh… Oh I remember, 'A symbol of engagement to the Hero of Time… it was he who… who… oh yeah, saved my life'." Said Naomi, the Zora's remained silent for yet another moment until the king broke the silence.

"But where was Ruto? She should have been there… Where could she have gone and why is she engaged to the hero of whatever…" The Zora king said as his blue complexion slowly turned red.

"I'm sure the Princess went in search of her fiancé. Maybe she got worried about him." Naomi said in hopes of quieting the anger of the Zoran king. This seemed to settle him.

"Good then," He finally said. "Then it is settled, you will find our Ruto. Seeing as how you are a dear friend of the Zoras."

Naomi's jaw dropped and she was at a loss for words. To say no would be like saying she wasn't really a friend, and how could she say no? Slowly, and reluctantly, Naomi nodded her head to agree to this.

"Now quickly let us get you dressed, pack you some food and send you on your way." The King ordered. But before Naomi could be dragged away to ready herself for the search of a lifetime she turned the king once more.

"If I should find her fiancé before her, how would I know it was him? What does he look like?" Naomi asked.

"Hero of time I do not know about, but I do remember a nice little boy all dressed in green. He had saved her from the mouth of Jabu Jabu, he had blonde hair and large blue eyes, and he had large pointed ears… and I think I do remember a large blue puffball…" The king said. Naomi rushed out to grab her clothes before the king finished. When she went out of hearing range the king finally finished. "But that was many years ago…" He said after Naomi was already on her way.

**Disruption V: This is the last one I promise**

Amy coughed loudly, inhaling the fumes of the smoke from the old man's pipe.

"So you're sure that this is Hyrule Castletown?" She asked meekly. The old man with one glowing eye nodded slowly. 'okay…' Amy thought. 'I guess I shouldn't have wasted my time asking this guy…'

"Err well… Thanks!" She yelled over her shoulder as she ran out of the small house and into the busy marketplace. She ran into a taller man.

"Oh." She said sheepishly as he stared down at her. "Sorry about that. I… have bad vision." She ran to the nearest restaurant to ask questions to lead her to the thief and hopefully mooch some food off of somebody.

Turned out Goron was the correct name. The Zoras had been nice enough to fill out the prescription there and Naomi was able to run straight up to the mountain through Kakariko village. The eye drops had been taken out of the ice cave, so Naomi had to hurry before it defrosted and spoiled. Sadly, she turned down the guards attempt to converse with her to hurry up the mountain path leading to the infamous death mountain. There, the giant Goron took his eye drops and thanked Naomi for her trouble. Then the little pirate girl ran all the way down the mountain, thinking of the princess's fiancé, the little boy all dressed in green.

The guard at the gate reopened the metal bars for Naomi to walk through. This time Naomi stopped to listen to all that he had to say.

"Beautiful time of year this is, so where did you say you had come from?" The guard asked casually.

"Well I hadn't actually said it yet, but I'm from a little place near what you call… Lake Hylia." Naomi said with a smile.

"Well let me tell you one thing. For a foreign traveler like you it's important to know who's who. I just want to tell you to look out for these women we call Gerudos. They have…"

"So I've heard." Naomi stopped the guard with a smile. "Don't worry, the Zora's have me well informed. I do have one question though."

The guard nodded, happily hoping to be of service.

"I was wondering if you have seen a boy with blonde hair all dressed in green, running around this place. I don't know much about him but I'm supposed to find him for the Zora princess." Naomi said. The guard nodded.

"I normally see a boy with that description around the castle. I would suggest staying there over night if you don't see him when you get there, he normally comes and goes but he's never gone for long. There's an inn there run by my sister, if you tell her I recommended it to you then I'm sure she'll give you a discount." The guard said. Naomi smiled and thanked him for the wonderful advice.

She went on her way and casually walked back through the town. But someone at the stairs leading to the field stopped her before she could go down.

"Excuse me, little lady." Said an overly buff man with bright red hair. "You can't go down these stairs without paying a toll." Naomi looked around in bewilderment.

"Oh, I'm sorry, how much is it? Oh, and I missed the toll coming up it, do I need to pay double?" She asked as she innocently dug through the bag given to her by the Zoras. Her new fish friends had supplied her with several rupees and other things. The red haired boy leaned in.

"It's one kiss…" He whispered. Naomi took a surprised step back. Some boys sitting around the gate laughed a little, even the guard standing by the post let out a little chuckle. Naomi sighed.

"Well then I guess I can't take the stairs…" She said with complete seriousness. Her mind was concentrating so hard on finding the boy in green that she couldn't think about much else. So she automatically turned to the stone wall and began to climb up it, much to the surprise of the boys. Of course the guard was doing all he could to hold back his laughter.

Meanwhile, poor Nameless had awoken on the other side of that very ledge that Naomi was climbing. Nameless stood up and looked off into the distance towards the castle, contemplating on whether or not she should attempt to go there. Rocks began falling into the water behind her but the rush of the stream drowned out the sound. More rocks were slowly rolling down the steep sides of the cleft as the little pirate girl clumsily slid towards the field.

"Why is this happening to me?" Nameless began to say out loud. "Why can't I remember? If there is any Supreme Being out there please, give me a sign as to who I am!" It was after this shout that she heard the sudden rustle of the tree branches. She turned around just in time to see a rock being catapulted from the tree limbs in her direction. A sharp pain ran through her head as the rock crashed into her forehead, a blow that ended her consciousness.

Her eyes blinked rapidly to try and clear the blurry images. She saw blue… and a beautiful coppery color. The vision began to become complete. It was a girl wearing an elegant blue dress that had been roughed up quite a bit. She had flowing copper hair and she seemed to be staring at the lost girl with wide blue eyes.

"Where am I?" the lost girl asked before saying anything. The girl in blue grew a worried look.

"You are in Hyrule, I think. Do you remember anything?" she asked. The lost girl nodded.

"Yes, I remember a rock hitting my head…"

The girl in blue sighed with relief.

"Thank god, well actually, I mean I'm sorry. At first I thought I had given you amnesia. I was climbing over the wall because I didn't want to pay the toll price, I have this thing about kissing strange men…" nameless passed her new companion a dazed look as the strange girl explained her story. "Any way, I accidentally knocked this large rock off the ledge just before I jumped down and it bounced off the tree into your face… I'm terribly sorry…" A long silence followed the girl's apology. "My name is Naomi." She said, undaunted by the awkward moment. "What's yours?"

"Umm… how do I put this?" The girl began. "I don't know…" Naomi's face dropped back into a worried expression.

"Oh no. You do have amnesia. Well, do you have any identification of any kind on you?" Naomi asked fretfully.

"I have these two swords," replied the lost girl. "They seem to have some writing on them." She pulled one out of its sheath and showed Naomi the engravings on the hilt.

"Aura Arma …" Naomi read out loud. "It doesn't sound familiar, maybe it's your name." The lost girl shook her head.

"It's another language… I think. I can vaguely remember some things."

"Well, maybe we should just call you one of these for now. Until you remember your real name." Naomi suggested. To this the lost girl agreed.

"How about Arma?" Naomi asked. The girl cringed at the sound of it.

"I think, actually, I would prefer Aura." The girl, formerly known as nameless, said with a smile. Having somewhat of an identity comforted her.

"Alright then, Aura. I'm going into the castle and will possibly stay the night there. I'm sure I have enough rupees for us both to have food and rooms, if you would care to join me." Naomi said with a smile.

"I don't want to intrude." Aura replied shyly.

"I insist." Naomi's last words were said as she pulled Aura to her feet. Soon enough the two were on their way to Castletown, both in search of something. Naomi hoped to find the mysterious Hero of Time, while Aura hoped to find herself.

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**A/n: I told you it was a doozy, I hope it was a good doozy though. Please R&R.**


	5. The Beast

**A/n: Thank you very much for reviewing. I'm very grateful to have multiple persons reading the story. And it's so cute that Hyperfoxchild blushed… okay back to the story. I promise that in the next chapter, they will all five be united together in a funny convenient way. This chapter should be slightly less confusing. If you have any questions about it, just post them and I'll answer them asap… and sorry I took so long to post this one, but we were camping, and I made pie, cherry pie, it was good... anywayI hope you enjoy this chapter and continue reading.

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****Chapter 5: The Beast**

Arian had fiddled with the gunpowder during the entire afternoon, hiding his new secret weapon whenever the Gerudos were to walk by. Link glanced over every now and again. He seemed impressed by the boy's knowledge of bombs. It hadn't exploded like the Hylian had expected it to.

It wasn't until the evening began to come to a close that Arian set his invention down. The boy came near Link and after scanning the room for Gerudo guards he began to speak quietly.

"Do the creatures of the night scare you?" Arian asked. This was a very peculiar question at a very peculiar time. Link arched an eyebrow and reluctantly answered the question.

"No…"

"And you aren't just saying that to sound tough, are you?" Arian asked, becoming slightly worried. Before Link answered, Arian had gotten up and walked over to their barred window.

"Don't worry." Link said as he rolled his eyes and turned back to the bars. "Navi and I have faced the most terrifying of beasts, no one can even imagine the horrors we've seen. Not even a dragon could cause us to flinch, let alone these creatures of the—." Links words were interrupted by a lot of raucous and low growls followed by a shrill cry from Navi.

"Oh my GOSH! You are hideous! You have fangs! The Hair! IT just Grew!!! HOW!? WHY???!!!" The little fairy yelled.

"I spoke too soon…" Link said monotonously. He turned around reluctantly to see what Navi was yelling about. Sure enough the boy had been somehow transformed into a strange beast. Although he was still very human in appearance, large fangs could be seen in his mouth and there was much longer hair coming down his back and neck. To top off this strange transformation there was a long tail that hung to his knees. The boy currently had this tail tucked between his legs as he stared with puppy-dog eyes at the shouting fairy.

Link got up quickly as he heard the footsteps from of the Gerudos above them, and placed a hand around Navi to silence her. After a short time it was quiet again.

"So…" Link began to say as he stared at Arian. "Have you gotten the bomb finished?" Arian stared at Link in wonder.

"Are you not at all afraid? I just turned into a beast?" Arian said as his ears cocked foreword.

"No. I see that makes you happy… or hopeful." Link said with a little grin.

"Yea, how'd you know?"

"You're tail's wagging." Link said with a bigger grin. Arian turned his head to see his furry tail swinging back and forth and blushed.

"Well now that we have this out of the way, you wanna get out of here?" Arian said with a smile. Link smirked.

"Let's get started…" He said.

Aura and Naomi had found the little inn in the back alley. Castle town was the busiest city that either of them had ever seen, or in Aura's case, remembered seeing. The innkeeper had graciously welcomed them, and as the guard had said, there was a discount. Of course Naomi didn't have enough money for two rooms if they wanted to eat a few good meals, but Aura decided that she wouldn't mind sharing a room. They now decided to get something to eat in the restaurant portion of the inn.

"You know, if we had known that this restaurant was part of the inn, then we wouldn't have had to hunt it down in the back alley." Naomi said as she saw how it emptied out onto the center of the marketplace.

"I'll remember that for next time…" Aura said with a grin. Naomi didn't seem to pick up on her little joke but Aura wasn't at all disappointed by that.

"What do you want to eat? Pick whatever you feel like getting, you look like you had a rough day." Naomi said with a cheerful smile. Aura began to smile too, for the first time that she could remember. Although she tried to pick something inexpensive, her stomach made her choose a large amount of food. Naomi ate scantily and denied that she needed anymore. It was near the end of their meal that they decided to discuss their plans.

"So what are you looking for in Hyrule?" Aura asked to make light conversation.

"Actually, it's more of a 'who.'" Naomi replied, "I'm in search of someone who is titled the 'Hero of Time'."

"He sounds rather vain." Aura said with a laugh.

"I know, but I promised the Zora's I would find princess Ruto, and I think that her fiancé, the 'Hero of Time', should know of her whereabouts. I came here because there was a guard at the entrance to Death Mountain that said he often hung out around the castle, but he comes and goes, mostly running errands for the princess."

A man at another table perked up and abandoned his beer to join the girl's conversation.

"I know who yer talkin' about." He said with a thick voice. "He came here just this mornin', then left after talkin' to the princess. They say he was goin' to fight the Gerudos. I hear he's a better thief than they are, and that's sayin' a lot." The man explained. His words struck the interest of another young woman who sat alone at a table. An aura of mystery radiated around her.

The strange girl waited patiently until the girls finished talking to the man. Finally he left the girls alone to finish their meals.

"Did you say you were looking for the um… 'Hero of Time'?" She said, awkwardly finding the words.

"Yes, are you looking for him too?" Asked the naive Naomi.

"Well yes, did that man say he was a thief?" The girl asked. Naomi looked at her inquisitively.

"Yes he did, is he?"

"Your guess is as good as mine, I was just wondering… Say, do you mind if we look for him together? I'm fairly new to this town and I don't quite know where I'm going."

"Of course, the more the merrier. My name is Naomi and this is Aura. Are you staying at the Inn?" Naomi asked, Aura remained silent. There was something about this girl that aroused her suspicion.

"No, actually I have no rupees… I was… robbed…. by the… J-…Jeridos on my way here." She replied.

"Well then you can stay with us." Naomi said to the surprise of Aura.

"Naomi, are you sure…" Aura began to say, until she realized what she was saying. Naomi hadn't denied her, Aura, from accompanying her even though they were strangers to each other, why should this girl be any different? Naomi was a very trusting person, but Aura decided that she should go along with her new companion and just keep a watchful eye on this stranger. "Are you sure… we shouldn't ask for her name?" She recovered.

"Oh of course, silly me. What is your name?" Naomi asked.

"Huh?" She asked, obviously distracted. "Oh! Yeah. My name is… Amy. Heh…" Suddenly, the room became silent for no reason whatsoever. It was a rather awkward situation. But then, somebody sneezed and another somebody said 'bless you', and everybody started talking again.

"So are we ready yet?" Link asked for the thirty some odd time. Arian didn't acknowledge Link's question. The beast's clumsy claws attempted to slowly finish placing the explosives into the lock. He led a string out of the iron bars back to them.

"I magnified its power by removing the compounds that were there to lessen the might of the explosion, that's why these bombs were only good for blowing up cracked walls." Arian explained. Link bent down to see what Arian was doing. He couldn't see in the dim light. Barely any starlight could shine through the little window, but it was apparently enough for Arian to see in.

"One minute and we'll be ready to light this baby. Say, I really don't know how powerful this is going to be so do you happen to have a spare shield or anything in those pouches of yours?" Arian asked in a joking manner, but he stared mouth gaping as Link drew out another shield from seemingly out of no where. He handed Arian the smaller one with the royal seal while Link kept the shiny one with the red rim. Arian slowly took his shield with a befuddled expression across his face.

"Okay," He said, shaking off his puzzled demeanor. "I think it's ready, all we need to do is set fire to this rope and then, brace yourself."

The two boys positioned themselves near the opposite wall and raised the shields in front of them. Soon there was a little fire running down the string and up into the lock.

The magnified explosion shook every wall of their cell. The blast forced Link and Arian against the wall as debris from the bars hit Link's shields. Pieces of the ceiling began falling down, surprising them both, but the greater surprise came when the wall behind them collapsed, forcing them both outside.

"Not quite as I had it planned, but let's go with it." Arian said as he hopped up and began searching for a way out. While the Gerudos frantically searched the remains of their cell, Link and Arian made their escape and began their journey to Hyrule castle.

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**A/n: Please R&R!**


	6. A Chance Meeting

**A/n: Yay! We finally made it to the chapter where they all meet! And we still have some one reading! Whew you have a lot of patience Hyperfoxchild. Thank you so much for your reviews, they make me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Well, here goes the funny convenient meeting chapter.

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****Chapter 6: A Chance meeting**

Amy woke up bright and early the next morning. Her two new companions were still sleeping heavily on their cots. 'Hm.' She thought, 'perhaps the time is a little different here.' She pushed back her sheets and quickly made her way to the bathroom to freshen up. Naomi and Aura slowly woke up after hearing the sound of the floorboards squeaking underneath Amy's feet.

They all had decided the previous night that they would go into town that morning to search for the 'Hero of Time.' Although Aura had no need to find him, she was invited to come along as well.

Two boys lay asleep just outside the castle walls. The clanking chains of the lowering drawbridge awoke them.

"Wake up!" Shouted a little blue fairy as the two boys slowly sat up. They rubbed their joints, stiff from sleeping on the hard ground.

"Is there a place we can get some food in there, Link?" Asked Arian. He stood, back to his natural human form, and began brushing himself off. The Hylian was up and had already stepped onto the drawbridge before it was fully lowered. He turned back around and silently nodded. Arian ran after him into the town.

Link walked briskly through the town, nearly losing Arian several times. Finally Arian gave up trying to follow Link, figuring he could either find him later or just go off on his own. He reckoned a man in green with a bright blue fairy wouldn't be too hard to find.

Arian wandered aimlessly for a few moments, checking out the different fruit stands. A bright beautiful apple caught his eye. It was sooooo _red_ and _round; _how could he resist? He reached out for it, but apparently he wasn't the only one to notice its lusciousness. Another hand slid on top of his, an elegant pale hand. He looked up angrily but his face softened as he saw a small blushing girl pulling back her hand.

"Sorry." She said with a little laugh, "I suppose I should get another one, shouldn't I?" It took Arian a moment to say anything, but after an awkward moment between the two, Arian held the apple up to the girl.

"I-it's okay… You can have this one…" He coughed. The girl shyly took the apple from his grip.

"So…" She said as she rolled the apple in her hands. "What brings you here?"

"I…umm… I came to ummm…oh I'm here with a friend. He's running some errands for the… the… Castle! You see he's really important, and he needs me as… his personal guard." Arian said as he leaned on the apple cart.

"Really? The castle? Well, I'm looking for someone who works for the princess, is it possible that I'm looking for your friend?"

* * *

Amy was walking along the cobblestone road, looking for a face she knew. She had gotten separated from Aura and Naomi, and she was beginning to become nervous. The faces here, though, didn't look at all friendly. Or maybe they looked _too_ friendly.

Suddenly, she felt her hair being pulled back. 'What the…' she thought. She quickly looked behind her to discover that her hair had tangled around the hilt of a sword. The owner of the sword, a rather tall man, had stopped momentarily, but he didn't seem to realize that she was caught on his sword.

Gritting her teeth, Amy pulled with all her might, trying desperately not to make a scene. Her hair wouldn't come loose, so she grabbed the hilt and her hair, trying to rip it off. The man turned sharply, his angry blue eyes greeting her.

"What are you _doing_?!" He growled at her. She shrank back slightly.

"Your sword… It… my hair…." She stuttered. The man saw her hand reaching for his sword.

"A likely story, _thief_!" Amy's eyes widened as he yanked her hand away and drew his sword. A loud shriek echoed throughout the market.

"_MY HAIR_!!" She cried out, shaking hands grasping her head. "You- You _moron_!" and with that, she, too, drew her sword. "Prepare to die!!" She hissed.

Unnoticed by the two, a crowd had gathered around them. Another girl pushed her way through the crowd.

"Amy!!" Aura yelled. She ran to the girl and grabbed her from behind. "You're being an idiot!"

"You've got to be kidding me!" Amy half- shrieked. "He killed my hair!!" She struggled against Aura, but Aura's strong grip remained around her.

"Come on, Naomi is probably looking for us." And with that, she dragged the kicking and screaming girl away from the crowd. The man sheathed his sword and angrily walked away.

* * *

"The man, or should I say _boy,_ I'm looking for is sometimes called the 'Hero of Time'. The Zoras wanted me to find him." The girl said.

"Oh," Arian replied as he leaned in. They now sat at a table in a nearby restaurant. "Well, what did this guy look like?"

"I hadn't actually met him, but they say he's a little boy with blonde hair and… blue eyes… Some say that they are kinda creepy eyes. I've also heard that he's already had dealings with the Gerudos. Have you heard of those thieves?"

"YES!!… I-I mean yes. They are scary… In fact my friend and I just fought them a little while ago. And actually my friend—."

"_Arian!_" Link yelled. His face was drawn into an angry glare. "Why are you cavorting? I just got through this stupid little… Ugh! Never mind. She wasn't worth my time anyways… Dirty little scrub of a girl…" Arian sat dumfounded for a moment.

"Uh, this is my new friend, Naomi…" Naomi stood out of her chair to meet him. "She says she's looking for the 'Hero of Time'." Link forgot his anger and smiled with pride at hearing his title.

"You…" Naomi said with hope in her eyes. "You must be his father!" Link's eyebrows raised in alarm.

"What?" He shouted, but before he could say another word the little blue fairy popped out of his hat.

"What Link? You're a father?" Navi began to say loudly. "Who's the girl, was it Malon, or Nabooru? Wait, she's old… How about Saria, she's always liked you, but then again, she's a child… Oh OH!! I know! It's princess Ruto—whoa, that would be one messed up kid." Navi broke off into thought as she imagined the mutant child of Link and Ruto. Link sighed heavily.

"Wait YOU'RE Link?" Naomi asked in shock. "I'm terribly sorry. I thought I was looking for a little boy. Well… um…Your fiancée's people, the Zora, are looking for you. They wonder what happened to the princess." Link rolled his eyes.

"She's safe, but it's a little complicated… _and she's not my fiancée!!_" He sighed. Their conversation was cut short by the arrival of the still angry Amy. Aura, though she had been walking with her, had stopped at the door to the restaurant. There was something about the boy with Naomi that seemed familiar and foreboding. She also remembered the strange man in green as the man from the marketplace, and knew that this was going to be a very interesting meeting, but awkward. Amy had continued her angry walk towards Naomi, not realizing that Aura was not by her side anymore.

"Naomi! You will not believe the nerve of these pe—." Amy started to yell, but her eyes caught Link standing next to her friend.

"_It's you_!!" They shouted simultaneously.

"Well I see that you two have already met…" Arian said with a sigh. He looked up to Naomi while Link and Amy began a glaring contest. "Well, I hope I can see you again one day…" He became downhearted.

"What are you talking about?" Naomi asked. "You can both come along with us. The Zoras need to know about their princess."

Link and Amy both stopped their glaring.

"You're kidding me…" Amy deadpanned.

"I can't, I have far more important things to do." Link said quickly. Naomi gave him a look to kill.

"So, that's the kind of man you are?" She hissed as she stepped towards Link. "Some poor girl out there thinks you want to marry her, and now she's disappeared and you don't even have the decency to tell her people where she is. Men like you disgust me… Aura, Amy, we're leaving." Amy followed her out dumbly, but Aura had already started on her way back to the inn.

Arian turned to Link desperately.

"Please, I helped you escape from the Gerudos. Please help me at least get to know this girl." He whispered through clenched teeth. Link whispered harshly back to Arian.

"Not in a million years!"

"Wow Link, a million years sure goes by fast, huh?" Navi chimed in as the four of them were walking towards the Inn.

"I'm so glad you decided to come along." Naomi said pleasantly. Unnoticed by her, Link and Amy rolled their eyes in disgust.

"I'm glad we did too." Arian said, following Naomi. He sighed heavily and glanced back at the two adversaries, Link and Amy.

"By the way, where is Aura?" Naomi asked as she turned to Amy. "Was she not with you?" Amy stopped her angry glare and looked around her.

"Well she was... she must have gone back to our room. Aura looked rather tired." Amy replied, she then returned to her irate disposition. Link then widened his eyes.

"There's another one of you?" He tried to say under his breath, but Naomi's keen ears picked up easily on his comment.

"Don't worry 'Hero of Time'." Naomi said with a slight hint of sass. "We just have to grab our things and we'll all swing by the Zora's. Then you are free to go and do those important 'things' you said you had to do." Arian cringed and turned to Link with an apologetic and pleading expression. Link gritted his teeth.

Naomi and Amy were busy packing their things in their bags. Aura sat on the bed and waited, she didn't really have anything to pack and her mind was troubled by something that she just couldn't remember.

"Do you think you are well enough to run by the Zoran domain with me Aura? If you want you can stay here and I can com—"

"No, I'm fine." Aura said. Naomi smiled and went back to checking her bag for everything. Her hand then fell on her old pirate clothing. She bit her lip, thinking of what Aveil and her mother must be doing now. Naomi had been gone for a full day now and no one but Lucian knew where she had gone. Now Naomi also had the responsibility of Aura, what would the poor girl do without her?

"Say umm…" Naomi began to say. "There's a very nice man down by Lake Hylia. I might have to run back to my family for a short while, so if you could stay with him then that would be…"

"Don't worry Naomi," Aura spoke up, "If you need to go somewhere, you know, alone, then I can live on my own, I'll be fine." At this point Amy came stumbling out of the bathroom, throwing her bag on the bed.

"Hey Aura," Amy said, "Why did you leave today? I know that that big green loser could have scared any one away, but I know you're too brave for to be afraid of that pansy."

"No it wasn't that…" Aura stuttered. She knew that this question would have come sooner or later, maybe not exactly in those words, but something like that. "I was just tired, and I don't really like big crowds. I told you I was going back, but you must have been too preoccupied." This was the excuse that Aura had been thinking of on her way back to their room. It sounded much better than, 'that guy looked eerily familiar, and I don't like him.'

"Speaking of the 'big green loser', you did realize that he is the 'Hero of Time'. Weren't you looking for him too?" Naomi said as she sat down on the bed to put on her shoes. Amy smirked and looked down.

"I think I am." She said vaguely.

"What do you think you want him for?"

"Actually I am looking for a thief. Someone, or some thing, recently stole a precious stone from my home." Amy explained.

"And you think that the thief is 'The Hero of Time'?" Aura piped.

"Everyone's a suspect, except you two and Arian." Amy said. Naomi rolled her eyes.

"Well, I hope you can find your stone. So now that Link is a suspect—"

"Oh, the pig has a name and not just a title?"

"Yes Amy… but now that the 'pig' is a suspect, will you be going with us to Zora's domain?"

"Of course I am. Like I am going to leave you two alone with that guy. I'll keep an eye on him, make sure he doesn't slit your throat in the night." Naomi and Aura bit their lips to keep from laughing. They both knew that this trip to Zora's domain, though short, was going to seem like an epic journey.

"I'm so sorry you have to deal with this, Link, but really, thank you so much. I think that this might actually put me in debt of you." Arian said to Link as they sat in the Inn's lobby. Link nodded with a forced smile. "I don't know why, but I just have a feeling that this girl might not mind, you know…" Link cocked his head to the side in confusion.

"It's just, I'm going to sound like a fool, but maybe she won't mind my nightly issues… possibly." Arian said as he twiddled his thumbs. Link grinned and possibly even laughed. Navi then drew their attention to the stairs.

"I think the girls are coming down now." Navi said as she spun around Link's hat. Arian hopped up out of his seat, but his excited face soon slumped down into a fearful expression. He grabbed Link by the arm and pulled him behind the counter. Link began to brush himself off and the little fairy shook in surprise.

"What was that all—" The fairy started but was soon hushed by Arian.

"It's that girl, she… never mind, look, you were right Link. I'm sorry for making you go through with this, but there's the door. Maybe we can leave now, I'm sure they won't notice." Arian said fretfully. Link and Navi exchanged a questioning glance.

"What happened to all that, 'she could be the one'?" Link asked in his quiet deep voice. Arian flinched and grabbed his head between his hands.

"No, no, I can't take the chance. She'll probably be frightened by the sight of me when night comes anyway."

"Is that what this is all about?" Link asked as he rolled his eyes.

"No I—"

"Don't worry." Link said as he grabbed Arian's arm and pulled him out from behind the counter. Arian fought against Link's grasp, as he was drug across the floor towards the three girls. Naomi, Amy, and Aura were at the counter checking out. Arian abruptly stopped struggling when all three of the girls turned around. Link pulled him in front. Arian was pale and wore a frightened look on his face. Aura cocked her head to the side, wondering why he seemed so rigid.

"She doesn't recognize me." Arian said under his breath, his words were swept away by the low rumble of murmurs echoing in the Inn's lobby.

"What?" Naomi asked with a laugh.

"I said, erm… Your face mesmerizes me." Arian said, attempting a pathetic recovery.

"Well… I'm flattered… but we should probably get going." Naomi said with a slight blush. The three girls walked by Arian, not noticing his heavy sigh. Link stuck around with Arian, just as confused as the girls were by his strange compliment.

"What's wrong?" Link whispered to Arian.

"Nothing. Nothing at all…" Arian said as he wiped away the sweat on his brow. Link arched his eyebrow, but then followed the girls with Arian by his side.

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**A/n: Please R&R!**


	7. Into the Dark

**A/n: Thank you guys so much for the wonderfully encouraging reviews. I'm so glad you liked the story, and yes, Arian is hiding something which won't be revealed for an excruciatingly long time… sorry. Well, I hope you like this chapter. We are beginning the major plot! I'm so excited. I've never had this many reviews. I feel loved… okay, enough with the tangent, and on with the story.

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**Chapter 7: Lost in the Dark**

The group weaved their way through the thick crowd of castle town market place. Naomi and Link led the way, Aura and Amy trailed just behind them and Arian brought up the rear, avoiding eye contact whenever Aura or Amy was to look back.

"What do you think is the matter with him? He wouldn't leave Naomi's side when we were walking towards the Inn." Amy said discreetly to Aura. Aura shrugged her shoulders. She had already thought that there was something strange about him, now she thought that he simply was strange.

"MY NECKLACE!" Shouted a strange woman from the crowd. Several people were then shoved brutally to the ground by an unknown force. A floating necklace then became visible to the group. Amy gasped in surprise and alarm, for she could see more than just a necklace.

"The stone!" she exclaimed as she began running after the floating necklace.

"What? Amy!" Aura shouted as she began following after the girl. Naomi quickly followed, and after her went Arian. Link rolled his eyes again and then he too followed the mysteriously floating necklace.

"Why huff are we cough running?" Aura gasped out as she ran by Amy's side.

"My stone. cough it makes people invisible." panted Amy. Aura shook her head but continued to run. Soon they saw the mysterious necklace drop to the ground. Aura stopped but Amy continued to run.

"Don't worry, I can see him. This way!" She called, not knowing why she wished to include Aura and Naomi in her hunt.

Amy followed the red apparition of a man, only seen by her, into a cave. Aura and Naomi quickly followed. Soon after Arian dived in, and much later followed Link.

The inside of the cave was dark and eerie, but the three girls were able to stay together. Arian soon caught up after increasing his speed. His fear for Naomi's safety increased his stamina, but Link had already fallen too far behind. Now Link walked, thinking 'that Amy-girl is so loud, I should be able to find them by listening for her high-pitched rants.'

He could still hear the echoes of Arian and the girls running and shouting. Most of the voices were garbled from bouncing off the rock walls of the cave, but the last shout he heard echoed loud and clear. "Look out!" rang one of the girls voices, followed by silence. Link's eyes widened and he cursed his carelessness. Quickly drawing his sword, he called out Arian's name. When no answer came he hastened his pace towards where he had last heard them running. His haste caused him to neglect Navi's warning.

"Watch out!" Navi called. "This cave has many cracks on the floor that are sure to—Link!"

* * *

"Is everyone alright?" called Arian. They had all slid down a sharp incline into a deeper part of the cave. Slowly the group got on their feet, rubbing their new bruises.

"I lost him…" Amy sighed as she desperately looked around, but her eyes could now see nothing but darkness.

Naomi soon brought forth a torch, using the supplies the Zora's had given her. They looked back up the steep incline, which they had fallen down, and realized that climbing back up was not an option. Arian attempted several times to crawl his way to the top, but the rocks were too smooth and slippery to provide any kind of grip.

"It's no use." Aura said as Arian came tumbling back down for the third time. "We'll have to try to find another way out."

"But where's Link?" Naomi asked as she held the torch higher, but she could see no figure at the top of the incline.

"He probably left us." Amy interrupted. "I told you he was no good, but we can do better without him. Come on."

* * *

"Link! Link!" Navi called as she flew down the hole. "Are you alright?"

The Hylian had already gotten up and was now dusting off his tunic. Navi quickly found him and began circling around his head.

"Link! You can't hook shot back up. There are only rocks up there." Navi informed him. Link sighed, and soon became alarmed when he realized he had dropped his sword.

"Navi, was my sword up there?" Link asked worriedly when he saw it was nowhere to be found on the ground.

"No Link…" Navi said rather downcast. "It's right here…" She floated above little shards of steel, the remainder of Link's Hylian sword. He heaved an angry sigh.

"If I were allowed to take the master sword, this wouldn't happen. But no, 'It's sacred, Link.' This is the last time I listen to princess Zelda." Link then stormed off down the tunnel, cursing angrily as he walked.

This time he stepped cautiously and remained within Navi's light. This strange tunnel led to a door. Cobwebs covered writing on the stone portal.

"Can you read it, Navi?" Link asked when he realized that the writing didn't seem to be Kokiri or Hylian. Navi shimmered around it for a few moments but then returned to Link perplexed.

"I've never seen or heard of this writing before. I have no idea of what it says."

"Well this doorway might be our way out."

"Or it might lead to a fire breathing dragon that will be released to wreak havoc on Hyrule which will awaken the evil powers of Ganandorf and cause the apocalypse!"

"Okay, just for that, I'm opening the door." Link said as he gripped the edges of stone. "To prove to you, that you are paranoid." He grunted. The large slab moved slightly, but Link had trouble getting it to move the rest of the way. Then behind the stone there was some kind of barrier. Navi stared at it with wonder.

"Shoot it Link." Navi said, marveling at the possible reactions. Link instinctively pulled out the light arrow, but instead of shooting the barrier, Link shot the strange symbol engraved on the back of the stone. Instantly the barrier was dispelled.

"See, it's a good thing I don't always listen to you." He said as he walked through. Navi examined the symbol, but it came to no avail. This too was strange to her.

* * *

Amy led the way through the tunnel. She now held Naomi's torch. Arian, Naomi, and Aura followed. Their path led to a more modernized portion of the vast caves. Small tracks with mine carts showed that people had once been there, but the composition and building technique of the mine showed no evidence of belonging to a modern civilization. The cobwebs and rot growing in the wood revealed that no one had used this mine shaft for quiet a while.

"He went this way." Amy said after examining a footprint in the soot that had gathered on the ground. The footprints continued to follow the tracks until they passed under a stone archway. Sunlight showed down from a large gap in the tall ceiling. But strangely enough, the footprints ended in the dead center of the rounded chasm. The four walked into the sunlight and examined their surroundings.

"It looks like a crater, or maybe even a dormant volcano of some sort." Naomi stated as she investigated the rounded open top.

"Maybe there's a way to climb up and out of here." Arian said as he examined the sides. His statement was answered with laughter.

"Then find it fast my little demons, time is not on you side!" Cackled a man's voice from somewhere on the top of the crater.

"How did he get up there?!" Amy screeched in anger.

"Quick the doors!" Arian called as he ran back towards the archway, but he was forced to stop abruptly as a large stone dropped over their opening.

"The top is closing in!"

* * *

"Jump, Link!"

Link leapt over a collapsing chasm and landed safely on the other side, just in time to be shot at by a magnitude of arrows. He made it through this trial and ran through a door on the other side. It instantly shut behind him, leaving him in darkness for only a few moments. The old and rusted torches on either side of the wall burst to life in his presence. Link quickly held up the megaton hammer, his substitution for a sword, but nothing more attacked him.

"I think we finally made it, Link." Navi said as she began to fly down the tunnel.

"It doesn't make sense. Why would they have guarded something so heavily if it were just the way out?"

"They've done it before, but then again, they could be hiding something." Navi thought as she floated around Link's hat.

"Well to protect it with that many traps and trials, it must be very powerful."

"Or evil…" Navi shuddered.

"No, I'd just say powerful, you know, like the triforce."

Link walked down the tunnel into a strange room of black mirrors. Only images of Link, Navi, and a mysterious sword appeared on the smooth black surface. The sword had been placed upright in a black marble stone.

It was a strange-looking weapon, its blade perfectly black but at the same time metallic. The hilt had precious metals forged into it, and it shined eerily in the light of the fire. Something seemed slightly wrong with this blade, perhaps it was magical. But what kind of magic would that be?

"I wonder if I could use this sword as my replacement sword." Link laughed a little. Navi flew around the room.

"EEK!" The fairy flew back when her light uncovered a strange statue in a dark crevice just behind the sword. Navi shook off her fear and took a closer look at it. "It seems so life-like." Navi stated. Link began to walk towards his fairy.

"Maybe it is alive."

"No." Navi flew back to Link. "It's made of the same stone as that sword's holder. Maybe he tried to take the sword and then was turned to stone! _Don't take the sword Link!!!_"

"Navi… please. If he tried to take the sword, then why is he holding one?"

"Oh… yeah…" Link sighed and rolled his eyes.

"But don't worry, I won't take the sword. I can use the hammer until we can get another one forged." He said. This was a promise he intended to keep, until the laughter began to shake the room. Pieces of the rock ceiling began to crack off and fall. Link had no choice but to stow away his hammer and pull out his shield. A black mass began to appear at the entrance and seemingly the only exit to the room.

"Link…" It hissed in a nearly undistinguishable voice. "It has been quite a long time…"

"Ganondorf?" Link called with widened eyes, the laughter began again, mocking his surprise. He then caught sight of the sword, which still stood between him and his old foe.

"Link, take the sword! As long as these rocks are falling, you can't take out the hammer or bow and arrow." Rang Navi's voice.

Link ran straight towards the giant mass that might have once been Ganon. He leapt towards the sword, grabbing it from the stone and rolling back up to his feet, but now there was nothing to fight.

"Link! What did you _do_?" Navi yelled. Link looked back at her with surprise. Now both Link and Navi looked at their reflections. The images slowly faded into black and were absorbed into the rest of the mirror.

"Navi… you, you told me to get the sword… Ganon, I saw him…" Link stuttered. This strange situation had him baffled.

"What do you think is going to happen?" Navi asked as she circled around Link's hat again.

"We'll just sit here for a minute or two. If anything bad were to happen, it should happen shortly."

Link and Navi stood in the room on full guard, but nothing seemed to be happening, until a little white light began to show itself in the wall. Soon there were many cracks, rocks rolled off the wall, opening a path for Link to get out.

"Well I guess the sword wasn't evil. They're helping us get out." Link laughed as he and Navi went over to the shattering wall. When there was enough space for Link and Navi to enter the assembling tunnel they entered. Both were taken by surprise when the tunnel began to close behind them, but Link knew that they would not be trapped since the wall continued to break away in front of them.

* * *

A thin stream of sunlight was all that was left from the once large hollow. The small gap continued to become smaller as the two great slides slowly came together. Naomi lit the torch again since Amy had extinguished it when they had walked into the sunlight. She held it up so Arian and Aura could investigate the rock wall for a way out. When none could be found, they looked back up to the last of the light coming from the ceiling in despair. All flinched as the two stones pounded together, entrapping them in darkness. It was soon after that they heard another mechanism beginning to work. One of the walls was starting to open. Naomi ran towards it to get a closer look, holding the torch in front of her.

The opening was large and stood a few feet from the ground. Arian and Aura watched it from the dark corner and Amy began to step into the light of Naomi's torch. It was only Amy who noticed that the light did not seep into the black crevice even though they were very near it.

"Naomi, I don't think that this is our way out." Amy whispered to Naomi.

"Why not?"

"I'm just thinking, why would the thief lock us in here only to set us free?"

A clawed hand reached out from the crevice and grabbed the slow moving stone walls. Naomi screeched and dropped the torch just as a bright yellow eye opened, searching for its prey. The fire was smothered and left them in the dark once more. Nothing could be seen, except for the glowing yellow eye of the creature. The dark mass screamed a warning call, declaring death upon all that were in the cave. Shortly afterwards, a roaring growl resounded about them.

"Are there _two_ creatures?!" Amy yelled. She reached for Naomi's arm in the dark, when she found it she pulled Naomi away from the creature who was hopefully still struggling to release itself from the small cave.

The sound of the mechanism stopped and silence swept through the darkness. The creature seemed to have closed its eyes, making it invisible to those whom could not see in the dark. Amy pulled Naomi to the corner of the wall and set her down. She then pulled out her sword. The sound of Aura's double swords being unsheathed soon followed.

"Safe for now." Amy whispered. Naomi's hand on her shoulder startled her and she jumped foreword. Naomi's voice settled her nerves.

"There was something moving within the wall behind me." She said as her hand ran down Amy's arm to find her hand. "Feel." Naomi commanded, placing Amy's hand on the rock. Sure enough there were vibrations coming from within the stone.

"Do you think the creature dug itself in there?" whispered Amy. Their hands were soon pushed back as the stone from the wall swelled and fell to the ground as if something were burrowing out of it. Amy stepped back and pointed her sword at the breaking rock. Naomi stumbled back and felt herself being caught by someone.

"Don't worry." Whispered Arian into Naomi's ear. "The creature is on the ceiling, I think he's waiting to pounce so keep up your guard." Naomi nodded dumbly and squeaked quietly so he would know that she heard him. Arian then righted her and left Naomi leaning against the wall wishing she had something she could use for a guard.

Amy used her sharp sense of hearing to listen for whatever could be burrowing out of the rock. She crouched down into the position she always did when she was ready to attack. Suddenly, light burst into the room and Amy lunged at the figure that had made its way in. Though temporarily blinded, Amy still saw another blade clash against hers. When her vision cleared, she saw Link in front of her, an angry expression on his face.

"Sheath your sword, you moron." He growled at her. Amy scowled at him.

"Oh, great. It's _you _again. Don't you ever die?" She groaned.

"Nope. The only way he could die was if he was blind and deaf… and mute… and… paralyzed…. And maybe in a coma… Possibly also severe head trauma… And… maybe if he was missing a limb…. No wait! All of them!" Navi piped up. Link rolled his eyes.

"Shut up, Navi." He snapped. Turning to Amy, he continued, "And it's not like I'm happy to see _you _either."

The voice of Arian broke their exchange of insults.

"Get down!" He called and shoved the two out of the way. Navi's light gave them a quick glimpse of the beast crashing into Arian. Link stared with mouth gaped for only a moment before turning to Amy again.

"Why didn't you tell me about this?!" Link growled and then ran towards the beast to help Arian before Amy could respond.

"Well… I thought… Well it would have been easier if you had died!" Amy yelled after him. She then joined Link and Aura in their battle with the beast. While the four of them fought against the beast, Naomi felt her way to where the thing had come from, it was an opening after all. After finding her torch she crawled up into the ledge. Using her pirate instincts she sniffed the air, and searched the cavern around her. There was fresh moss, but that could have grown from the opening that used to be above them. Soon, a light breeze came through; there was a way to the outside from here, but the air that came in the breeze was musty and carried soot, meaning that they must first travel through more of the mines.

Naomi then turned her attention to their battle against the creature. She could see Navi's light and within it there seemed to be much happening. There were many screams coming from the beast and shouts from her friends. Sparks flew from the swords hitting the beast's hide. It was possible that it wore a type of armor, but it could also be possible that its own flesh was impenetrable. Either way it seemed to Naomi that they were losing.

"Think…" Naomi commanded herself. She looked to the unlit torch she held in her hand. "One alone is more appealing than the armed many." And with that she lit the torch, and raised her voice to catch the attention of the beast and her friends. Her plan worked, but she had not looked far enough into it, for now the beast had flown in the air and was crawling on the ceiling towards her. She could see its eyes and nothing more. They were eyes that moved very quickly in her direction.

"Naomi! Run!" called one of her friends, her panic kept her from knowing who had called, but she obeyed their command and took off running deeper into the caverns after dropping the torch again.

Link whispered to Navi as the rest of them ran ahead to aid Naomi. After their conversation, the little blue fairy sped off ahead of them all, just as Amy turned around for one more crude comment.

"This isn't the time or the place." Link stopped her as he ran up into the taverns. Amy rolled her eyes and followed them.

Navi flew with all her might to find Naomi. Link knew that since the poor girl had dropped her torch, she would be running without any sense as to what lay ahead. The beast was flying above Navi, but it didn't seem very interested in eating a fairy as much as it was interested in what she was doing. At any rate it stayed clear of the tiny fairy's path. Link too had noticed that the creature seemed to dislike the fairy, but she wasn't a very good source of protection and didn't keep the monster at bay for long. The beast had continued to lunge out at Link.

Naomi was grateful to see once more, and was even happier to learn that the light source was Navi. The beast seemed to be able to see in the dark well, so Naomi didn't fear the light giving her position away.

"There's a way out from here." Naomi said to Navi. The little fairy listened intently. "It seems that we go that way, more than likely we should follow the old mine cart rails." She whispered. "Go tell the others where I am, if I do not make it out then tell them to go that way."

"Naomi!" Navi cried, "Look out!"

Naomi rolled away from a swiping paw. The beast now hung from the ceiling and had attempted to take Naomi from there. The pirate girl ran from the beast as the fairy flew back to Link and the others. Lucky for Naomi, they weren't very far, and she could still faintly see in the dim light supplied by the distant Navi. She could see the yellow eyes as well, now up-righted, but still high above her. Slowly the creature advanced upon her. Naomi could feel her heart pounding in her chest as her legs took automatic steps backwards.

"Be brave Naomi, be brave…" Naomi said to herself as she tried to compose her thoughts.

Bright light suddenly burst alive behind the beast, exposing its entire hideous corpus. It stood on its hind legs and between them Naomi could see Link pulling back an arrow beaming with light. He released it into the creature's back. Light filled the entire cavern as the creature arched its back in agony. Naomi saw that it was falling towards her, but to her back and sides she was blocked either by stone wall or an empty drop off. Gathering her courage she ran towards the massive creature as it fell upon her, sliding out from underneath it just as it smashed against the floor.

Naomi rolled into the Navi's light, joining the rest of the group. It was Arian who ran to help her to her feet.

"Good job Naomi." Amy congratulated as she sheathed her sword.

"It was all I could do for now. I'm pretty sure we can get out of the caves that way, but the beast seems to be blocking the exit." Naomi replied, slightly short of breath. Link examined the creature.

"It shouldn't be too hard to climb over."

"No, don't touch it. I have a feeling that it's going to wake up. That arrow of yours was powerful, but this creature is unworldly." Naomi said, her breathing became normal.

"Hold on! There's a map over here." Arian called from within the darkness. The others gathered around him, and saw that there was in fact a map, carved into the side of the wall.

"It's a map of the mine tracks." Aura stated. She let her finger travel the path that they suspected led away from the beast. "It forks and this track doubles back to join the one leading to the outside."

"Then let's follow that one, just to be safe." Naomi said. Link looked to Arian who seemed to be on Naomi's side. He knew that Amy would go for Naomi's idea as well just to spite him.

"Look, I think this is ridiculous, considering its dead, but just to humor you, I'll accompany you guys that way." Link grumbled.

"O great…" Amy muttered as she rolled her eyes.

"Let's not argue and just go. If Naomi's right then that thing could wake up again any second." Aura interrupted. The group took heed of her advice and began their trek along the tracks. Amy took one more look back at the creature. There was something wrong with this picture. Even by setting aside her lack of faith in Link, she still felt as if it were conscious of her every move. Amy continued to walk with her head turned until she smacked right into Link's shield.

"Must we keep bumping into each other like this?" Link said through gritted teeth. Amy glared but then decided to ignore his comment.

"Why did we stop?"

"Naomi decided to look at the mine carts." Aura replied exasperatedly.

"I'm sorry, but look at these. The way they are carved is fascinating. These must be at least a century old considering the way the dust has settled on them, but they are still just as sturdy as if they had just been built." Naomi said as she ran her hand across the strange metal holding the contraption together. She nudged it across the rail. "Amazing, it hasn't rusted at all. What kind of metal is this?"

Arian laughed lightly at Naomi's curiosity at such an inappropriate time, Aura and Link passed each other a questioning glance, but Amy still stood behind them, her eyes darting nervously back and forth.

Amy looked back at the beast once more and noticed that she saw one of its eyes opening. She backed away and ran into Link… _again_. He turned around angrily.

"What is it _now_?" He growled. Amy wasn't angry though; rather she was fearful.

"Link! The monster is still alive! Look!" She pointed to the glowing eye that was slowly twitching. Link saw it and cursed under his breath. Quickly, he turned back and looked towards the cart.

"Looks like we gotta get out of here fast!" Navi yelled. Link ran and shoved Arian, Amy, Aura, and Naomi into the small mine cart and started to push it on the old tracks. This caused a screeching noise loud enough for the monster to definitely have heard.

"Why am I on the _bottom?!_" Aura cried out, muffled by everyone else.

"No time!" Link yelled. "I'll face the beast alone! You guys go ahead!" He was about to give it one last shove down the slope ahead of them, when Amy's arm snatched his own.

"Oh no you don't!" She yelled, yanking him into the cart. Link yelled out profanities as the cart jerked suddenly, launching itself down the steep slope. Aura yelped as the weight of another person crushed her.

Navi screamed as she realized she might be left behind but Naomi lunged out to grab the little fairy and Arian caught Naomi before she fell out of the cart, pulling Naomi and Navi back in. Navi was then released from Naomi's grasp and hid herself deep within Link's hat. The cart went hurling along the tracks with several of its five passengers screaming. Link looked back and saw the dark mass of the creature moving as fast as it could to catch its prey while Amy looked ahead.

"There's the fork coming up! Which way?!" Amy yelled. Aura squirmed at the bottom of the cart.

"I don't know! I can't see!"

Arian and Naomi tried to move so Aura could get up. Aura finally poked her head above the large mine cart's rim to see the fork.

"RIGHT!!!" She screamed after realizing that they were nearly to the fork. Everyone leaned to the right and Link pulled out his hook shot and latched onto a wooden beam that ran across the top of the ceiling for support. He fastened the hook shot to the cart and tried to pull them towards it.

"You idiot!" Amy screamed, "You're going to cave us in!" Indeed the beam began to break, seeing as it was nearly a century old or possibly more. Link could not detach the hook shot from the beam, so instead he pulled it all the way in, causing the cart to become airborne for a moment. Out of shear luck it landed safely back on the track just ahead of the falling beam. They watched as the falling rock closed the narrow entrance behind them, hopefully stalling or even trapping the creature within the caves.

Aura's shrill cry directed their attention back to where they were going.

"The track has ended!!!" Aura yelled. The echo of their screams reverberated throughout the chasm as the mine cart plummeted into seemingly eternal darkness.

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**A/n: Please R&R!**


	8. The Rebirth

**A/n: Wow, this has got to be the farthest I've ever posted with someone still reviewing. Thank you so much, and don't worry. I always finish a story, even if it's a bad story… Well I'm glad to know that this one is good, thank you so much. **

**Disclaimer: I probably should've put this on chapter one, but I kept forgetting… but I remember now. If you haven't already figured it out: I don't own Link, Hyrule, Zelda, Navi, or anything else associated with the game Zelda. I put this on my profile, but copyright is a picky thing.**

**Well now that that's over, on with the story, and thank you so much for your comments, I can't tell you enough.

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**Chapter 8**: **The** **Rebirth **

A strange man grumbled as he walked among the caves. He walked quickly and quietly through them as if he had every step memorized. After pulling out the strange stone he examined its eerie red glow.

"That was too close." He muttered to seemingly no one. "Yes, too close, but it took care of her. Yes, it did. It took care of them all, even that little boy in green. He is all grown now, all grown… now dead." The man smiled a sinister grin.

He stopped his walking when he noticed that the stone seemed to alight. There was a presence near them that made it react in an odd manner. The man looked around him until he noticed a strange pulsating glow from within the cracks of the rock walls. It was dark, yet shown as if it were light. Out of curiosity, the man pulled away some more of the rocks and beat on the crack until it gave way to a larger opening, just big enough for him to crawl through.

This cave had brought him nothing but fortune and the promise for more power urged him onward and through the crawlspace. He held the red stone out in front of him. Its ominous glow gave him the light he needed since the pulsating darkness did not allow him to see.

The tunnel he crawled through began to angle downwards. The man grasped the edges of the rock to keep from tumbling headfirst into the unknown. Another cracked surface appeared below him. This too he struck until it gave way, and the man slid down into a strange room surrounded by black walls, pulsing with the strange light. The man had come just in time to see the pedestal in the center of the room melt away, exposing a strange symbol that alighted and dispersed into four characters, which dissolved into the black walls. The darkness melted from the walls, what remained were tall mirrors on either side with the four characters glowing in them and a strange figure of a man on either side with a fairy floating above it. These figures shined a bright light and burst into many dark shards. They leapt from the mirrors and came together in the center where the symbol had once been. Slowly they pieced back together and formed the three-dimensional being that had once resided in the mirrors.

The man watched in wonder as the darkness soon gained color and became an all too familiar form. He gasped and stepped back in fear.

"You! It's you! The little boy in green that badgers me every time we meet. You, you can't have it! It's mine, I found it."

"I don't want it." Interrupted a deep and malevolent voice, coming from the new figure. It began to move its new limbs, ignoring the man. Another figure began to form from other dark shards. The shards floated in the air and the man and the figure watched it with curiosity. Soon a fairy came into being above them both.

"Curses!" Shouted the figure of darkness. "The man had a fairy. This stupid spell has to copy everything in the mirror doesn't it?" The newly created fairy explored its new surroundings.

"WOW! This place is awesome!!!" the fairy stated in an overly happy manner. It then flew over to the man. "Who are you?"

"S-sakon, sir…fairy…" the man said rather nervously. He turned to the dark figure. "Whu-What is going on here?" The dark figure looked up and smiled at Sakon. It could sense his greed.

"You, my friend, have just stumbled upon the utmost powerful being in or on this land." It said while it tugged on its gloves. Sakon then looked questionably at the fairy, curiously bumping in and around things. "Yes, and that, is unfortunately bound to me. You see, many years ago, several of my jealous associates locked me here. They feared my power, as they should have. I simply didn't expect them to turn against me. They placed several spells that kept me and my powers bound, to keep me from reaching my full destructive potential. This irritating little creature is here because of one of the spells."

"You mean it is not broken yet?"

"No, I am trapped in this form until the blood line of the four that bound me is broken, and even then I am still threatened by the Key masters and… the guardian." He said turning to the statue. It remained immobile but something was slowly coming to life within it. "The spell is bringing him back now, but it will take a little while longer. He's been asleep for a millennia."

"And who are you?"

"I am the one who was here in the beginning, and I am the one who will create the end. Those who know me fear me. Those who fear me, call me Devoren."

"So I guess this means you don't have any friends, which obviously means no parties…" The dark fairy sighed. Devoren stared agitatedly at the fairy as his left eye slowly twitched.

"This is going to be maddening." Devoren said, his voice monotone. His attention then turned to Sakon. "We do not have much time before the guardian awakens and if you continue to stand there like an idiot, he will kill you. So, I will make a bargain with you. Provide me with a host so that I may leave these caves and you shall be rewarded with power beyond your wildest dreams."

Sakon marveled at the idea and was quick to respond.

"What kind of host would you need?"

"If we had more time I would ask you for one of the four deities' stones, but I'm afraid our time is short, and I doubt that you would have that, so I must—." He began to say, but Sakon produced a shining red stone and held it up to Devoren.

"Like this one?"

"Where did you get… oh never mind. Yes that will do. I will enter the stone and you must take me out of this room as fast as you can, and preferably out of the caves."

Sakon smiled as Devoren became a shiny mist and entered the stone. The black fairy did as well with slight protest. The smiling man then pranced out of the mirrored room, the symbols in the mirror then faded as they felt the presence of Devoren diminish. Possibly an hour later, and no less than that, the final symbol emerged from a keyhole that appeared where the pedestal had once been. It shined bright and wrapped itself around the statue in the back corner. Slowly the stone crumbled, the sword he held become metal, and his face turned to flesh and blood. The sword dropped from his now flexible hands. When the guard's knees became free of the stone he fell, unused to the functions of his own body.

After the guard's body returned to normal, he flexed his muscles that had been dormant for so long. He then picked up his sword and examined his surroundings. A smile crept across his face after he realized what had happened.

"So it has begun." He said with slight amusement. "The battle which will determine the fate of us all." With those last words lingering in his thoughts he left the caves, following the call of the sword… his destiny.

To face Devoren was not his first priority. There would be nothing that the guard could do to him now except hinder him. The guard was glad to leave the inner caves without encountering him. He knew that if Devoren was able to leave that pedestal, he wasn't alone. This was true, but his company was a mere trickster, a coward at heart.

Sakon had actually taken Devoren deeper into the caves, his hideaway. Devoren himself had slumbered in the crystal until he was sure that they were clear of his old bindings. He was then awakened by another presence, one he recognized as a dear old friend. With new devious plans in mind he arose from the red deity's stone and confronted Sakon.

"I shall give you your reward now. My promise was to give you ultimate power, was it not?" Sakon nodded vigorously. His greed kept his suspicion from arising. "Then I shall give it to you." Devoren said as he held out his hand, pointing one finger towards a long drop off. "Over there." Sakon pranced over there without any hesitation. Only when he saw what was over the ledge did he question the integrity of Devoren.

A beast arose from the abyss, a beast with two yellow eyes. It enveloped Sakon before he could run or even think. Sakon could only think to shout out to his mistaken benefactor.

"Curse you! What a man to go back on his word!"

"You curse me?" Devoren said with a laugh. "I am the embodiment of a curse, everything harmful, everything terrible, and everything corrupt, that is what I am. But how dare you to question my word, for dishonorable is not what I am, instead deceit. I will give you great powers beyond your wildest imagination, but what I will not give you is the power to control them." Devoren finished his speech to Sakon and turned his attention to the black beast that encased him. "Now my pet. Your master is free from his imprisonment, as you shall be. No longer will you be forced to wander these dark caves in your formless mass, feeding off of whatever wretched soul wanders here. This wicked soul shall be your puppet, your new skin. Hide yourself within him and together we shall leave these pitiable caves."

Sakon released one last shriek as the beast encased itself within him.

"Wow… this has got to be the biggest anchovy I have ever seen." The dark fairy said as she hovered over a puddle.

"…What?" Devoren snapped as he looked at the idiot fairy. "Never mind… I don't want to know…" Devoren buried his face in his hands.

* * *

The mine cart hurtled down the abyss. They all had given up screaming a long time ago and now they all only desperately tried to hold on. Something seemed to be lightly tapping one side of the cart and the passengers felt themselves falling at an angle. The cart began to level itself again, Naomi squeaked as her body was flung deeper into the cart from the inertia. She struggled unsuccessfully to right herself as she tried to keep her legs from hitting anyone.

Amy opened her eyes and was very thankful to see that they had landed safely on tracks, but at the same time she was puzzled and slightly alarmed by such dumb luck. Link too was baffled as to how they had landed safely on the rails after a fall like that, but at any rate, they were grateful to be alive. Aura poked her head out again and saw sunlight seeping in ahead of them. Arian righted Naomi just as Aura saw the one downside to finding the outside.

"The track is ending! _Again_!" She squeaked. Link reacted by pulling out his hook shot once more, but again was his reaction too slow, and they shot out of the tunnel, becoming airborne for the second time. This time the group didn't hesitate to scream as they saw themselves falling faster towards the rocky ground. They fell lower and farther, it now seemed that they were going to land in a small stream that ran across the dusty ground. And with a large splash, the water broke their fall. All vacated the mine cart and drug themselves onto the stream's bed. They lay there in slight shock and relief under the midday sun. It was silent until Aura realized something.

"It's still noon?"

"Yes… it is…" Naomi replied to Aura. She didn't seem to grasp what Aura was getting at.

"Well, I know it is, but I would've thought we spent longer in that cave. Possibly an hour or two, it should at least be three, but the sun's position is telling me that it's exactly noon now." Aura argued. Link looked up at the sun to confirm Aura's solar predictions.

"Maybe you had the wrong time when we went into the cave. And you never know. We could have gone through that whole ordeal in thirty minutes." Amy interrupted, but she too found this strange.

"Where are we any way?" Naomi chimed. Link stood and dusted off as much dirt as he could. As he examined their new surroundings his stomach dropped to his knees. He knew this place, but it was a vague memory. The house shaped like a giant music box, the giant stone castle, blocked off by large iron rods, it all seemed so familiar, and yet as if it had come out of dream. But Link knew that it was no dream, he also knew where they where.

"Ikana canyon…" Link said with a sigh. Aura and Arian seemed confused, but Naomi and Amy had heard of the place, though they had never been there.

"Then clock town should be just north of here, if my maps were correct…" Naomi thought aloud. Link became alarmed.

"You know of this place? Then you must have come through a portal to Hyrule." Naomi's eyes widened as she realized her mistake.

"No… maybe… I dunno…" She tried to recover, racking her brains for some sort of excuse. Nothing came to mind, but she knew that no matter what, she must not mention the pirates. If he knew about this place, then he had probably heard of the pirates' bad reputation as cutthroats. Much to her surprise, however, Link took on a different tone.

"You should have told me you lived in Clocktown, but tell me, how on earth did you get those metal doors back open?"

"They… rusted?"

"Wow, and to think, I had to get that stupid mask so some creepy man could open it for me." While Link reminisced and Navi circled his hat in confusion, Naomi heaved a sigh of relief. Soon after this, the group heard a rumbling in the sky. A storm was on its way, traveling from Snowhead.

"We'd better find some shelter from this storm, it looks bad." Arian said as he looked at the lighting in the distance. "Moving fast too."

"It's the worst storm I've seen in ages." Amy said. Link passed her a suspicious glance. "…Compared to the storms back home."

"Where do you live anyway?" Link queried.

"Like I'd tell you."

"Why not?"

"Mostly because I wouldn't want you to know where I live. I'd much prefer never to see you again."

"Actually I wanted to know so I could be sure and stay clear of the area."

Amy glared at Link evilly but Naomi stopped them before any more words could be said.

"Come on." She pleaded. "We need to find a place to stay, and possibly get some food. I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm starving."

"I think I have an idea of a place nearby. The little girl doesn't like me very much, but the old man was very interested in fairies… maybe we could get them to feed us." Link said as he looked at the music box. Amy and Arian looked to Naomi. She shrugged, so it was silently decided to follow Link towards the giant music box. Naomi winced as the off tune music began to play louder. This was not like the sweet tune that Lulu sang.

Link knocked on the door, remembering how the little girl had thrown him out last time, but much to his surprise, the door was quickly answered by and old man with a patch over one eye.

"Well aren't you a strapping young man! Say, could I get you to help me with something?" The old man asked. Link shrugged, rather startled by his forwardness.

"Haha, good, good, because I need you to go into the temple there, face the dreaded dragon, take the stone from there and use it to destroy millions of mummies that inhabit the caves below here."

Link's eye began to twitch. The old man laughed loudly.

"I am only kidding. I just need some help with these boxes. Say you wouldn't need shelter from the storm before you go to clock town, would you?"

"H-How did you know?"

"You shouldn't speak so loudly." The old man replied as he hobbled back into the house. "Come in, come in, make yourself useful."

Link and the others entered the old house, but not without flinching from the loud music. Many boxes were piled about the place, and a small kettle was set on the fire.

"I bought this place from a young man and his daughter a little while ago. They wanted to move to clock town. He said that this loud music kept away the mummies and such. I don't really know the technical term for all that hoopla, but I know I haven't seen anything of that sort around here." The old man explained. "So what brings you flying over the mountain and crashing into the creek here?"

"Uhhh…." Link looked to Arian with eyebrows raised. "It's kind of a long story…" He muttered. The old man nodded.

"Well, that's alright, you can tell me later when we've settled down and had some lunch!"

Naomi became excited by the promise of food. She began to salivate when the old man removed the lid from the large kettle and the aroma of rabbit meat simmering in basil and other herbs filled the air. Arian, Aura and Amy also savored the sweet smell of his stew. The old man lifted it up, struggling to get it off its hook. Link seized the pot when he feared the man might fall over. The hermit then pulled out several bowls from one of the boxes and put one in front of each of his guests as Link set the large kettle of soup on a hotplate atop the table. A spoon was soon set in the pot and they began to pour the hot soup into their bowls.

"Now then…" The old man said in the process of settling himself. "I will tell you of the best route to take on your journey back to Clock Town… I assume that is where you are headed?" Link quickly swallowed his soup to answer the question.

"Yes, you guessed right."

"Then you must take the rock stairs at the top of the ledge. When you leave here it will be to your right, a small rock pathway zigzags its way through the other little huts to it. Be careful on those stairs, they're slick little buggers."

Link widened his eyes at the concept of stairs.

"At the bottom," the old man continued. "You will see Ikana River. I'm afraid you will have to wade across a stone path that is just under the water's surface. The workers never got around to building a bridge. They scare far too easily and ran home when they heard some strange noises coming from Ikana castle." A thunderclap interrupted their conversation. The old man shook his head and re-gathered his thoughts. "When you walk from the old dock onto the grass, take the path to your right. Beware of those massive creatures that dwell underground. They tend to blow-up on contact. After them you will come to a complete drop off, since there is no one there to work the lift anymore, you will have to climb down. You will also have to climb over the gates that lie on the path directly to the south, and be mindful of those explosive little rodents."

"What?! Does everything here blow up?" Aura exclaimed as she set down her half-empty bowl. The old man laughed.

"No not everything…" He said with a laugh. Aura sighed with relief. "Most creatures here prefer to slice things that move, into tiny little pieces." Aura swallowed a large clump of her food whole, coughing when some of her meal attempted to block her windpipe. "But you should miss all of those things. Past the gates you should see clock town directly in front of you. And just to give you fair warning…" The old man leaned towards the group. "If you see a man running around, looking like he's insane… don't talk to him, he thinks he's part rabbit." The old man said. He made a motion indicating he thought that the man was crazy. Naomi smiled and nodded while the rest of the group was awkwardly still.

"Link…" Navi whispered in the Hylian's pointed ear. "This man's scary… he keeps looking at me…" Link held back a laugh and finished his soup. The day came to a close, as the storm grew stronger. The old man invited the group to make up their beds in his basement and he left them alone, going upstairs to possibly his own room. Link made his bed in one corner, and Amy made hers in the exact opposite. Link seemed surprised when he saw Arian making up his bed in the open. He remembered what Arian was to become and realized that the girls were completely unaware of his… problems.

Naomi and Aura took the corner near Amy while Arian had laid his bedding next to Link. Arian looked over his shoulder to see that all of the girls were out of earshot of a whisper and asked Link very quietly.

"Come with me upstairs."

Link nodded and Navi seemed to understand so the three of them began up the creaky stairs, not unnoticed.

"Where are you guys going?" Amy barked, calling Aura and Naomi's attention to them as well. Arian and Link froze to answer the question.

"I'm still a little hungry." Arian said as casually as he could with a shrug. Naomi cocked her head to the side, she was confused as to how he could still be hungry after so filling a meal, but the girls seemed to accept his response and the two continued upstairs without any more interruptions.

"I can talk to you upstairs, then we only have the old man to worry about and he won't be too hard to… avoid…" Arian said as they clambered back into the front dining hall, and realized that the old man was nowhere to be found. The boys looked around for him but he seemed to have left his own home. More thunder rumbled outside.

"He must have left." Navi said as she flew back to Link's hat.

"Then I'll tell you now. I'm going to hide out there." Arian said casually. Link looked out the window at the sheets of rain that came pouring down. Lighting struck the mountains in the background.

"You're going out in that?"

"I have to; I don't want to scare them, especially not now. You'll cover for me, right?" Arian asked as he placed a hand on Link's shoulder. Link couldn't answer, but sat there stunned. That he would consider risking his life in order not to 'scare' something as horrifying as Amy was a concept beyond him.

Link then came to his senses and decided to protest this idea of Arian's, but before he could, Arian said lightheartedly,

"I knew you wouldn't let me down." And he went out into the pouring rain, running away from the music box house to hide. Link sighed heavily and flinched as he heard the pounding of footsteps up the staircase. He turned angrily towards the stairs but when he saw Naomi's friendly face appear his attitude softened slightly.

"Where's Arian?" Naomi asked with a smile. Link looked around as he thought of what he could possibly say.

"He, uh… had to go to the bathroom." Link seemed slightly surprised that this pathetic excuse was the best he could come up with, but Naomi seemed to buy it.

"I suppose when you gotta go… you gotta go…" Naomi said with eyebrow cocked, staring out into the terrible storm. "But I don't think I could ever go in this kind of weather. Well, why don't both of you come down when he gets back? I just wanted to give you a head's up because right now, we were going to change our clothes, so give us a few minutes okay?"

"No problem." Link said with a sigh. Naomi glanced around the room one more time and then went back down stairs. Navi flew over to the window and then back to Link.

"Well Link, you're gonna be up here for quite a while. I don't think he's coming back for a long time." Navi said.

"Perfect…… Just… Perfect…" He mumbled.

Back downstairs, Amy, Aura, and Naomi had changed already. Naomi spoke up.

"Where are the guys?" Her voice was exasperated. Amy raised an eyebrow.

"Why would _you_ care? Do you have some sort of… _crush_ on one of them?" She made a disgusted face. Aura piped up.

"Yeah! It seems like Arian has taken a liking to you…"

"Eh… no." Naomi said. "I would worry about _anyone _out in this kind of weather." Aura nodded.

"That is true… I mean, how long can you take?" Amy rolled her eyes at Aura's statement.

"I bet it's some sort of _diversion_. They're probably going to leave us here to be killed or something!" The room grew silent after Amy's comment. Aura looked at her.

"…Killed by who? The old man?" Naomi laughed at that. But Amy's face was serious.

"You never know with people like… _him_." She hissed the last part, just as Link came walking down the stairs. Naomi's face brightened.

"Finally! What took you…so….. Where's Arian?" She questioned, not seeing his familiar face. Link cringed visibly.

"He's… Having stomach problems." He raised his eyebrows in false concern. "I wouldn't be surprised if he was out there all night!" Naomi gasped.

"Are you _sure_? How could….. Is this just some sort of _guy_ thing?" She looked to Link.

"…For him, yes." Link muttered.

"That's a lie!" Amy shot at him. "You're just covering for him!" Link grew nervous, afraid she was growing suspicious.

"Why… I bet he'll kill us in our sleep and then both of you will take all our money and run off with the old man!" She accused him. Link stared at her for a second, blinking.

"…Of course." He said while walking to his cot. After setting his supplies on the floor, he took off his boots and laid on the cot, his back turned to the rest of them.

"How can I be sure you aren't lying?" She hissed at him, not expecting an answer. "You can _never_ trust a thief! Nobo-"

"Shut up. I'm trying to sleep." Link interrupted. Amy was about to speak up again, but after receiving a look from Aura she gave up and laid down on her cot.

"I suppose we should get some sleep too then." Aura said when she was sure Amy was finished speaking for the night. "Don't worry Naomi. He can take care of himself."

"I just don't like the idea of him running around at night in a foreign place during one of the worst storms I have ever seen. I mean, you heard what the old man said… and where is the old man?!"

"Naomi!" Aura silenced the panicking pirate. "If he was so stupid as to go out and recklessly endanger his life, then it is his own fault. Don't worry yourself over something you have no influence over. Just go to bed and we will find out where he is tomorrow." Naomi had nothing more to say and she too laid her head on the pillow. Aura looked around the room and went to sleep without a care. For some reason Arian's life didn't seem like a large cost to her right now. She fell asleep wondering why she simply didn't care. The eerie sense of déjà vu returned to her just as her consciousness faded.

* * *

**A/n: Please R&R! I would really appreciate it.**


	9. The Psychologist

**A/n: Hey everyone. Thank you so much for reviewing again Hyperfoxchild, and thank you Jingenji- yes I will keep it up, I always finish what I start, and yes Hyperfoxchild, they are plotting against us. Well, I hope you enjoy this chapter, where events take a turn for the... umm... okay, it's just going to be... interesting in this chapter...

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**Chapter 9: The Psychologist**

The guard struggled up the rock wall of the cave. Mine tracks lay across the bottom of the chamber. The guard propped himself against the rocks and strained to pull out an arrow from the wall. He jumped back down to the ground holding the arrow in one hand. The guard snapped his fingers on the other, creating a sort of light so that he could examine his findings.

He swiped the edges of the arrowhead, his fingers rubbing off a black residue. Though its color was black, it was thick like blood. He laughed to himself as he saw the scenario play out in his head.

"He's powerful to have pierced the skin…" He muttered to himself. The guard discarded the arrow and searched for footprints on the dirty ground. He found more than he expected. The many footprints showed evidence of some sort of struggle. It seemed, however, that the many people who made these prints were all on the same side. The number of footprints was also very confusing. Many of them led off into separate directions. There was also the evidence of one lone man walking through, after the confusing mass had left. The guard wanted to be sure he was following the right path.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a strange device. The runes on it resembled the design of the ones from his ancient resting-place. When opened, the device looked similar to a compass that was absent of the directional markings, but the arrow was present and seemed to be working efficiently. It shakily pointed towards the rail tracks. The guard smiled and closed his device as he saw another lone man's prints running within the mine tracks. They disappeared a long ways down but it was evident that they had taken one of the mine carts. Why else would the mass of differently sized footprints disappear in one empty area directly next to the rails? Unfortunately the roadblock ahead would take a day to clear, and the guard was forced to walk on foot as opposed to this tunnel's previous travelers.

* * *

Navi quietly nudged Link's shoulder. Still he did not wake up. The little fairy looked back over at the sleeping girls and then resumed her attempt to wake up Link. She tugged on his sleeve, tickled his long pointy ears and even pulled his hair, but all the Hylian did was roll on to his side and go back to sleep. Navi became red in frustration.

" 'Navi!' " She mocked Link's command. " 'Be sure to wake me up quietly, it should be easy'… yea right bub. You're as easy to wake up as a zucchini on a hot summer's morn—eep!" Her squeal was muffled as Link quickly got up and covered the fairy with his large gloved hand.

"Hush…" He hissed.

"Hmmph, that's the last time I'm waking you up you lazy little—." Link squeezed her harder.

"Don't wake the girls." Link and Navi were both silent as they looked over at the three girls. Amy groaned and rolled over, but they all appeared to be deep in sleep. Link and Navi stealthily made their way up stairs. The Hylian looked back and made sure that the coast was clear.

"Link! Listen!" Navi squeaked, returning his attention back to her.

"What is it now Navi?" Link asked with a sigh. The fairy shook.

"No, I mean listen!"

"I don't hear anything." It wasn't until Link did hear something that he realized the music wasn't playing anymore.

"Gibdos!" Link exclaimed as the both of them rushed to the window. Another one groaned in response to the first as four mummy-like creatures drug themselves about the house, like a shark would its prey.

"Arian and the old man are still out there!" Link cried, hands clutching the windowsill.

"Well, no duh. They're obviously not in here. Sheesh, and you say I'm the one who states the obvious."

Link glared at Navi as a long silence fell upon them.

"Never mind. I just have to go out and find them before the girls wake up, no biggie." Link sighed and cracked his neck as he looked at the Gibdos, hungrily circling the house. "Besides, I still have the sun song."

"One problem Link…"

"What's that?"

"You'll be outside, which means that will make it night again…"

"And… oh…" Link began to say and then realized that Arian would not easily be found in the dark, and it was possible that this world wouldn't bode well with time manipulating songs, after remembering his last adventure here. To speed up nothing but the sun and moon could prove to be very dangerous in Termina.

"Well. Maybe I can dodge them… they are slow…"

"Sure, whatever."

Link ignored the sarcastic encouragement from Navi and slowly slipped out the door. Downstairs Amy awoke with a shock to the sound of a screeching Gibdo. She threw the covers off of her and jumped off her cot. She ran to the stairs as Aura and Naomi groaned and got up after being hit by Amy's beddings.

"What's the deal Amy?" Aura whined. She threw Amy's pillow to the other side of the room. Amy didn't respond but instead looked back to where Link had once been and cursed under her breath.

"The thief got away! I told you… There are probably minions of his circling the house!" Amy quickly ran up the stairs. Naomi and Aura looked to the other in confusion, wondering if this was a dream or if Amy's paranoia really did have reason, and then followed Amy soon after she had reached the top.

The screech of yet another Gibdo resounded and Link froze in mid-stride. Slowly, the creature of death dragged itself towards its life-filled victim. Navi frantically flew around Link as he fought against the ancient spell of the Gibdo. It drew near and became ready to bite, but Link broke from the invisible bindings and pulled out the dark sword. The mummy-like creature was sliced in two with a single, easy stroke of the blade. Link stared in amazement as he watched the creature, which had once been so hard to kill, struggle to right itself on the ground and then slowly break away into dust.

His attention span was thrown back on track as he heard a distant, and slightly muffled, deep-throated growl. Link looked towards the temple of Ikana Canyon. Large metal bars were laid across the gate into the castle and the small crack that had once been his way into the temple was now sealed. Link desperately looked for another way in after hearing another yelp. He feared that Arian might be in the midst of a battle and losing.

Amy looked out the window for the near eightieth time and sighed. Aura bit her lip, her mind deep in thought. Naomi dug through the many boxes to find the controls for the music box.

"There's nothing wrong with the gears in the basement that turn the wheel. They are all well oiled and are still turning easily. Right now I'm going to check the pipes and make sure that nothing's clogging them." Aura and Amy stared at Naomi in awe as the nimble little girl clambered up the boxes. "There's a loft up here." She exclaimed as she disappeared from Aura and Amy's sight. A long silence followed Naomi's disappearance.

"I found the problem!!" Naomi exclaimed from atop the loft. "One of the wires became exposed to the rainwater and it shorted out, but I think I can reroute the power through an extension. Hand me the pot with the copper handle." Amy continued to dumbly stare while Aura scurried to get the pot with the copper handle. Naomi's pale hand reached over the side of the loft and felt for the pot as Aura handed it to her. Aura then stepped back, next to Amy, and joined her in her dumbfounded stare.

"One more attachment and…" The music began with a roar. Naomi squeaked and her two friends soon saw her coming down from the loft with a crash, back into the boxes.

"Oh my, it was loud up there…" Naomi said with a blush. Aura and Amy quickly grew worried faces as they saw a large rod falling from the ceiling.

"Look out!" Aura exclaimed. Naomi rolled out of the its way and caught it before the rod smashed any more of the old man's belongings.

"It's a staff…" Naomi stated after examining her discovery. She felt the strange carvings that had been embedded into the wood and stared in wonder of the strange deep blue metal that was twisted around the wood.

"That's nice, but right now we need to find those traitors." Amy said darkly. All three of them stared out the window as the mummy-like creatures were engulfed into the ground.

"You mean those traitors?" Aura chimed, looking out the opposite window. Amy and Naomi quickly looked in the direction that Aura was indicating. Sure enough Link and Arian were running back towards the music box. Arian glanced behind him and slowed down but Link continued to run all the way to the door. Amy angrily opened the door and let the mud-covered Hylian inside. Arian shortly followed, just as dirty, but he seemed even more ragged than Link did.

"You're hurt!" Naomi gasped. Arian looked down at his arm to see a rather serious gash. The feeble cloth that he had used to hold it together was now drenched in blood and falling off. Aura seemed worried too and quickly set some water on the stove and began preparing some other things to clean the wound. Naomi scavenged for some dressings to place on it.

Amy glared questioningly at Link. The Hylian's eyes glanced fretfully at Amy and then back to the dazed Arian.

"I'm going to go clean up in the river." Link said after Amy's suspicious glare became to annoying for him to bear. Amy seemed about to follow him but Naomi's voice called her back.

"Amy, I need you to start making some food if you could. I'll get you started, I just want you to watch it and tell me when it starts to boil." Amy walked monotonously back to the fireplace and began to watch the pot of vegetable stew that Naomi had so quickly prepared. She had also already set Arian down in a seat and gotten Aura to soak some cloths in the hot water to clean his wounds. Naomi was about to start looking for some bread when she and Amy heard a loud commotion behind them. They turned to see that Arian had jumped up on the table and was continuing to back away from Aura. The poor girl stood stunned, still holding the wet cloth she was going to use to clean his wounds.

Aura passed him a confused look but continued to try and wash his wounds. As her hand came near to him, Arian jumped, putting more distance between them. Naomi looked at Aura and back at Arian.

"Look," Naomi angrily said. "I don't care how tough you think you are! We're going to take care of that wound whether you want us to or not. And DON'T STAND ON THE TABLE!!!" Naomi yelled as she pulled Arian back down and forcibly put him back into a chair. She snatched the hot wash cloth from Aura and began to clean his arm. The mud washed off easily and Naomi soaked up most of the blood. She then heated a needed and boiled some thread that she had dug up.

"This is going to hurt, but I need you to relax as much as possible." Naomi ordered. Her serious and demanding tone did not falter. Aura began to step around the table in hopes of helping.

"Stop tensing up!" Naomi exclaimed. Her back was turned to Aura, and she was intent on holding his arm in place. Aura backed up a little.

"Thank you…" Naomi said with a sigh and continued her stitching. Aura looked at Arian. His eyes watched her strenuously. Every move she made, his eyes followed her in an almost fearful manner. Aura looked down and feared tears would come to her eyes.

Amy was now back to watching the pot boil and Naomi was intent on stitching up Arian, who Aura now knew hated her with a passion. She walked out the door, not caring what the others would think. They didn't think anything at the moment, and only assumed that Aura had to go to the bathroom, or desired to wash up before breakfast, but Aura stood on the front deck and wiped away a single tear.

Link walked towards her, she didn't even notice until he was right behind her. The music was too loud to hear footsteps.

"What's wrong?" He asked in an unexpectedly caring way. Aura stepped away from him.

"Nothing, I'm fine." She said stubbornly.

"Then why were you crying. I'm not an expert, but I know people don't spontaneously burst into tears when they're 'fine'."

"It's stupid."

"And that doesn't matter. People tell me their stupid problems all the time and it tends to make them feel better."

Aura smiled a little.

"I just don't think Arian likes me very much… at all… I wouldn't care if it didn't make me so frustrated…" Aura looked up at Link and realized that he didn't know what she meant. "I'm frustrated because I can't find the reason… I know I'm supposed to know why, but for some reason… I can't remember. I just don't know why he hates me so much…"

"Don't pay attention to anything he does… He just has manly issues… and indigestion…?"

"No… You didn't see him in there. Every time I took a step foreword, he would take one backwards. He looked at me as if I meant to kill him."

"He just uhhh… ummm… indigestion makes you cranky…" Link said shakily. Aura smiled and shook her head. She then walked towards the river, away from him.

"This is why I don't travel with people…" Link said exasperatedly to Navi. The little blue fairy looked back at him.

"And this is why I'm not a psychopathist…" Link arched his eyebrow and looked questioningly at his fairy.

"You mean psychologist?"

"What are you talking about? Of course I'm not crazy… sheesh… you're a psychologist."

"Yes Navi… I'm a psychologist." Link said with obvious sarcasm. He and the fairy then re-entered the house, allowing Aura to have some time to herself.

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**A/n: Please R&R!**


	10. All Arrive

**A/n: Okay, thank you all so much. I'm sorry I had to put up that a/n chapter thing, but after that last chapter, ****no one ****reviewed and someone took me off their fav list -gasp- ...so I was a little worried (and I would feel like such an idiot posting when no one is reading). Maybe it was the whole Termina thing, because I know a lot of people on this website hate Majora's Mask with a passion. I personally don't think it's better than Ocarina of Time (nothing beats that), but I thought that it was… cute? My friend and I just had this great idea of... well... you'll find out...**

**Any way, thank you guys so much for reviewing. I don't expect tons of reviews, but one per chapter to tell me people are still reading would be nice. It really doesn't matter who it's from as long as one person speaks. And of course, feel welcome to review if you have any questions or comments (hint hint)**

**Anime Stars : It's okay if you don't know about the c2 thing. I just have those two areas on my account, and it looked interesting, but I'm not on enough to belong to one any way. And you don't have to worry about it taking a long time to post. I've actually written four or five chapters ahead and should be posting on a regular weekly schedule. I did that in case I get writers block or something, so I don't keep you waiting on me to find my muse.**

**Luthoen: Thank you so much, that was the nicest compliment ever. And I'll leave it to you to decide whether or not it is romantic tension, but all will be revealed in time.**

**Okay that's enough of me talking. Here's the story.

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**Chapter 10: All Arrive**

"Where's Aura?" Naomi asked as she set a bowl in front of Link, Amy, and the newly mended Arian. "And I wonder why the old man still hasn't returned." Arian and Amy silently sipped on their bowls.

"Aura just went down to the river. I can go and get her if you want." Link answered.

"No that's fine." Naomi said, "I should probably get her, just incase she decided to take a bath or something." Link accepted this and sat down, he began to sip on his soup. Naomi exited and went to find Aura. The little pirate found her friend soaking her feet in the stream, away from the horrible music of the music box. Aura looked up as soon as she heard Naomi's footsteps and smiled.

"I have some breakfast if you're hungry." Naomi said in her usual friendly manner. Aura looked back down to her feet.

"Naomi?"

"Mmhmm?" Naomi responded. She sat herself down next to Aura.

"Do you think I am evil?"

Naomi seemed shocked by Aura's question.

"Uhh…Of course not! Why would anyone think that?"

"I don't know… But what if that's what I couldn't remember? What if I were evil? Would you regret helping me?" Aura asked, she didn't look to Naomi but instead let her eyes examine the great stone towers in the horizon. The sky was still a misty gray from the terrible storm the other night, and the air was fresh and cool. Naomi thought about Aura's question for a moment, trying to find the right words. The right response soon came to her.

"No… I wouldn't regret it. 'Bad' or 'evil' people are often just misled… They do bad things because they are told to do so, even if that is not their real personality. If you had been one to be considered 'bad', then it would only be because someone had forced you to be that way." Naomi answered with full confidence, however she felt awkward from the corniness of her statement.

The two looked at each other with a smile. Naomi continued to comfort Aura.

"I know that you as yourself are not 'evil' or 'bad' because you have done nothing to deserve such a title. Your actions have always been kind and sincere since we met in Hyrule. So whoever you were before, it doesn't matter. This is who you are now, and you are good."

Aura sighed and looked back into the distance.

"Thank you Naomi… I just have a strange feeling. It makes me scared to find out who I really was…"

"Well, the past can't be changed, but your future still has hope… and if you hurry, there might be some vegetable soup in your future, so come on." Naomi got up and pulled Aura to her feet. The two of them then scurried back to the music box.

* * *

"Of course the day of our release would be on a day when this accursed sun was shining." Devoren spoke in a murmur, so that no one's attention would be drawn to him. He was not sure to whom this form had once belonged. Unfortunately the accursed fairy had other plans in mind and she floated among the flowers as she sang rather off key.

Devoren ignored her, but he flinched when his face met the direct light, as did his other, preferred, companion. This associate had once been Sakon, the man, but now he was the encasing of fear, the beast. Fear growled and squinted his newly blackened eyes.

Devoren turned to speak to the beast, after kicking the dark fairy into a tin can that was conveniently placed on the road.

"There is the castle." He stated, pointing to the great stone fortress of Hyrule. "If this man was able to pull out the sword then they should know him, although, his appearance doesn't seem to be of the blood line." Devoren looked back at his new form and sneered in disgust at the man's preference for tights and a skirt. He growled when he heard the muffled cries of the fairy in the tin can. Fear grunted.

"It is possible that their powers have advanced, and he was sent by one of them with the ability to pull the sword." Fear said in a deep, raspy voice. Devoren looked back to the castle for one last look of disgust. He then turned to the gate and resumed his course to the Castle Town Marketplace with Fear at his side, and a tin can rolling at his feet.

* * *

Naomi began to clean up the bowls from their breakfast. Arian leaned his head against his hand and yawned. Aura kept her head glued to the table and Link reclined in his chair. All this made for a rather awkward silence, until it was broken by a loud and satisfied belch. The loud burp resounded throughout the little house, making the wooden table vibrate. This was a belch that caught everyone's attention and they all stared in amazement at the now blushing Amy.

"Eh…. Excuse me…" She said while covering her mouth.

"Wow…" Navi squeaked. "That was awesome…" Arian and the three girls smiled a little at Navi's comment, but Link rolled his eyes.

"Sure Navi… if you find grotesque bodily noises interesting." Amy glared at Link and the three bystanders of the war between Amy and Link widened their eyes, fearing another battle would soon begin.

"Well enough of that! I'm glad you enjoyed my stew Amy." Naomi said as loudly as she could. Amy settled in her seat again but her angry eyes remained on Link, as if they were attempting to burrow a hole through him. "But we should probably plan on heading to Clock Town. So does anyone know where the old man is? I don't wish to lock him out of his own home."

"There's a key above the fireplace." Link said calmly. "You can lock the door and place the key on the mat. Gibdos and the other creatures here are too stupid to use a key, and the only thief here is at the bottom of that gorge, and he's afraid of water." He looked back to Amy and the two began angrily staring at one another. Arian and Aura quietly and uncomfortably sipped on their drinks while the only noise, other than the out of tune music, was the footsteps of Naomi searching for the key that Link had spoken of.

"I found it, so… As soon as everyone is ready to leave we can go to clock town." Naomi said uncomfortably. Link stood from his chair, his eyes still in a glaring contest with Amy.

"Good. Then we can go through the door in Clock Town you opened, visit the Zoras so I can tell them that I'm not marrying the princess, and then I can leave." He then stormed off down the stairs and began not only putting away his own things, but everyone else's as well, in an attempt to leave as soon as he possibly could.

"I'm going to make sure he doesn't touch my stuff…" Amy said irately and she too stormed off downstairs.

"And I'm going to make sure they don't kill each other." Aura echoed and she hurriedly scampered after them. Naomi began silently clearing away the plates and Arian silently watched her. It was yet another long awkward silence for that morning as Naomi's eyes darted nervously to Arian staring at her. She looked back to the ceiling and then her eyes turned back and met Arian's again.

"What?" Naomi finally asked. Arian blinked, he gazed around the room.

"Nothing…" was his quiet reply. Another moment of speechlessness passed between them. "Do you smell smoke?" Arian interrupted as he sniffed the air. Naomi smelled it too, but she was not quite as alarmed as Arian until she heard the music beginning to falter and saw the smoke pouring out from the loft. Naomi squeaked and began to climb up to the problem. Arian quickly rose from his seat when he saw Naomi disappear into the smoke.

Both began coughing violently as the smoke choked them. All of the raucous caught the attention of the three in the basement. They soon were running up the stairs to see what was the matter. Naomi came stumbling out of the loft as Amy, Aura, and Link reached the top of the stairs. Arian helped the choking Naomi to her feet.

"It overheated and melted the copper." Naomi said in-between coughs. "I don't think I can fix it." Link nervously looked outside to see the Gibdos coming back to life outside the house. He sighed and looked back to Navi in hopes that the fairy would have an idea.

"Well Link…" She said as she looked at the mummy-like creatures. "You could just charge through them like you did last time. That nifty new sword of yours really does the trick."

"I suppose so…" Link replied tiredly. "But they come back very quickly, and I can't defend everyone here." It was at this point that Amy decided to enter in her opinion.

"You don't have to defend us! I can take care of myself, just as Aura and Arian can… and… okay maybe we'll have to defend Naom—."

"Hey!" Naomi cut in, "I can take care of myself, thank-you very much." Naomi looked around her for someone to back her up, but they all remained silent, remembering how weak and defenseless she had been in the caves. "You just haven't seen me fight…" She said with a pout. Still everyone was silent, afraid to say anything that might hurt the poor girl's feelings.

"Sure Naomi!" Aura said, breaking the silence. "We know you can… just umm… stay behind Link…" Aura looked over to Link and then leaned into Naomi's ear. "He likes to think he's a manly-man." It was a nice attempt, but Naomi could see right through her little scheme, and without a word, she walked downstairs to pack her things. Amy rolled her eyes and followed her.

"Naomi!" She called as she reached the bottom. "We didn't mean to—"

"It's okay." Naomi interrupted. "I'll just follow you guys as any good damsel in distress would do." She finished with a light smile as she tied up her bag. "I wonder if the old man would mind my taking that walking stick, it's very nice, and I can give it back to him, if we find him." Amy shrugged and began helping Naomi to put away the beddings.

"It's a stick… Sure it's really nice, but I don't think he intended on doing anything with it anyway. And it was in the loft, I don't even think he knew it was there, because how on earth could he have gotten in the loft." Said Amy, just as the last of the people upstairs came down to them.

"What's in a loft?" Aura asked as she joined the two girls. Amy responded without thinking.

"The old man."

"The old man is in the loft?!"

"No, the old man couldn't have gotten in the loft."

"Oh… what??!"

"Never mind that." Link interrupted. "We should probably get a move on so that we can make it to clock town during the day time. The creatures that come out at night aren't very friendly in this area. Arian widened his eyes and let out a sigh, wondering why he hadn't received such a warning. He then threw on his pack and joined the others.

They all huddled around the door, intent on going out, but at the same time, hesitant about moving. Amy stood in front of the door, and Link stared at her, waiting for her to open it.

"Are you going to open it?" He asked after a long silence.

"Of course!" Amy replied harshly. "In my own good time." She then turned the knob and fiercely opened the door in an attempt to hit Link, but he caught it and stepped around.

"Here goes nothing." Link said with a sigh as they all slowly stepped out. Naomi, however, snuck back in to grab the strange staff. The first Gibdo caught sight of them. Its scream froze their entire bodies, save their heads.

"Fight against its spell." Navi instructed everyone. "Let it get close enough to you to strike, but if it gets too close it will try to suck the life force from you."

The Gibdo was slowly dragging its half-dead carcass towards Aura. She violently fought against its paralyzing grip in fear. Link too fought, his hand twitched in an attempt to reach for his sword.

"Link, She's too far away from you." Navi said. "You won't be able to reach her without hitting someone else." Link looked behind him and realized that Arian and Amy were in-between himself and Aura.

"Aura." Link called her attention. "Focus all your concentration into reaching for your swords." Aura twitched slightly, in an attempt to follow Link's command. The creature had now drug itself to be just a yard away from its prey.

"I don't think I can!" Aura exclaimed when she still wasn't moving. Link finally broke free, well before the others. He was used to the spells and they would wear off on him earlier than it would the others. But he stumbled foreword, away from Aura, and by the time he turned around he could already see it opening it's rotting mouth, exposing its decaying fangs.

It raised its hand, ready to grip Aura's neck, but it was violently forced back by the mysterious staff.

"Don't even think about it!" Naomi yelled at the creature in a tone that was menacing for Naomi, but not so much for everyone else present.

The spell then wore off of the others and Aura's hands jolted to the hilts of her twin swords. They all ran to aid Naomi, who had lunged at the creature and was doing her best to beat it senseless with her staff. She stepped aside and let Aura slice the creature with her swords. Its disembodied head fell to the ground and it disappeared into the dirt.

Another shriek resounded and Aura and Naomi were both frozen, for they were the only two that had eye contact with the second of the creatures. Link stepped around the house and quickly sliced the advancing Gibdo in two. It fell on the ground and turned to dust as the other had done.

"Quick, we should make to the stairs that the old man had talked about before another one comes around, or these two come back." Navi advised. The group heeded her counsel and ran up the steep slope, curved around and through many of the old clay homes that were slowly breaking apart, and found the little stone staircase.

It was at the time that Link and the others were traveling to Clocktown that the mountain guard stumbled down the last few yards of the steep incline. His hands gripped the sides of the railway to stop his face from plummeting into the metal rail. He slowly got up, dusted himself off, and cracked his sore neck. His body ached from the day's climb down into the black abyss, but he kept himself moving. He knew that the tunnel would soon come to an end, and that he would see daylight for the first time in over a million years.

He walked down the tunnel with a faster pace than his sore legs really wanted, but he longed to see the sunlight and he knew that he was already very far behind.

The caves did come to an end and he stood at the mouth, looking over the edge and straight down at a waterfall. His keen eyes dubbed the water deep enough for a dive and he leapt off the cave's lip and into the clear waters. He burst from the deep and took in a deep gulp of crisp, dry air as he quickly scrubbed some of the grime of the cave off his face, but he knew that there was no time to take a bath or dry off. He was content with this, and was rather pleased with feeling the cool water on his hot skin. The guard swam to the river's edge and began looking for more clues to the whereabouts of the one's he hunted.

"Come on you guys! How could _I _have known it wasn't a cat? I didn't see a bomb on it's tail!" Aura complained as her four blackened friends gave her another irritated look.

"Well, the issue here isn't whether or not it was a cat… The solitary fact that you would pet a wild animal, that is, in fact, blinking red, is proof enough that we shouldn't leave you alone out there." Link relied dryly, rubbing black soot off of his face with the back of his hand.

"Don't worry Aura." Naomi cut in, smiling despite her blackened face. "It's not every day that wild animals come running at you and explode." Aura smiled and shrugged.

"I don't know about you, but I'm starving." Arian said loudly. He immediately began looking for a nice restaurant. "How about that one!" He shouted as he pointed towards a large new place titled 'Sun's Spices'. "I love spicy food." Naomi looked at him skeptically.

"Are you sure your stomach can handle that?" She asked. Arian grew a surprised expression and speechlessly looked at Naomi. She sighed and leaned in to whisper to Arian. "I mean you were gone all last night." Arian then gave that same questioning stare to Link. The Hylian shrugged.

"I guess you'll just have to order something easy on your stomach…"

Without another word, Arian dumbly followed the others into the new restaurant.

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**A/n: Yeah, the beginning was a little corny, but I wanted to add some foreshadowing. Let's see if you can guess. Please R&R!**


	11. Oddly Convenient Encounters

**A/n: I'm sorry, but I might have to wait longer in between postings, now that school has started. I really should be working on homework right now but… o well. Sorry this took longer than expected, but any one who still has time to read this might want to know that I will probably be posting every three or four weeks. Sorry for the delayed time, but maybe I can get back on track during the holidays. Please R&R.

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**Chapter 11: Oddly Convenient Encounters**

Hiding in the shadows, they slipped unnoticeably through the crowds. Fear and Devoren had been slinking through the backstreets of castle town all afternoon, gathering the bearings of their new environment, and their new time. After laying down some ground rules with the fairy, she had agreed to either quietly hide in Devoren's hat until further notice, or be stuffed back into the tin can. They paused and silently watched a disturbance in the crowd. An elderly man was on his knees, begging to the guards, and causing quite a scene.

"I beg you, help me find my daughter." He cried, but the guards turned away at his pleas. "I sent her to be rid of a murderer from my country. She must have followed him here. If you find her you may find him, he is a threat to your kingdom too!"

His words were of no use. The guards continued to pay no attention to the man. He sullenly backed away from the stone soldiers, and stepped out of the crowd.

"Won't anyone help a man from Minirith?" He mumbled to himself, thinking no one had heard him. An unexpected response caused him to jerk.

"I am sure we can help you, if you help us."

The man turned rapidly to see the two dark figures of Devoren and Fear standing in the background. Their expressions were mysterious, in an almost sinister sort of way, but the man was not afraid. The promise of their help kept him from using his senses, senses which had actually been out of order for quite a long time.

"I will do anything you ask. My daughter is all I have. If you can help me find her, I would be forever in your debt."

Fear and Devoren smiled deviously.

"Accompany us, and teach us the ways of this place. We are not from these parts and are having difficulty getting around."

"Of course. I would gladly, if you can find my daughter in one piece." The man replied without question. Devoren was pleased, for he knew that it would be easier to get things done with his aid. Devoren's intentions however were not to aid the man in return. This Minrithian meant as much to him as the lowly thief Sakon did. He was merely a vessel in which he could grow and nurture his schemes. But the girl sounded like she would make for good use. Her father had sent her to hunt down a murderer, a bounty hunter would make very good company.

"Come with us." Devoren commanded. "And we shall first take care of finding your little one. Show us a picture, and give us something that belonged to her." He put his arm around the concerned father and led him into a small inn. The man walked along side of him and began digging through his bag for the items requested. Devoren directed Fear to the counter to get them a room key in which he could work his magic without interruption.

"You are in luck." He continued to say to the man. "You have fallen in favor of a very powerful wizard. I will be able to track down the whereabouts of your daughter very easily." The man smiled.

"O' thank-you… and pardon me." He said suddenly. "I am Jabono, a slave trader and merchant of Minirith. I was so excited that you were willing to help me that I nearly forgot my common courtesy."

"I am the wizard Devoren, and that is my companion… Vereor." Devoren stumbled to remember the word for Fear in his ancient language. Jabono didn't seem to understand his old tongue and continued to smile.

"And I'm!…" The little voice of the black fairy sounded as she came out of Devoren's hat. "Oh… I don't have a name, do I…" She became saddened. Devoren put a hand on his head as he tried to hide his exasperation. Vereor came creeping up to them, holding the room key he had taken from the counter.

"Shut up you nitwit…" Vereor grumbled under his breath.

"Yes!" The fairy exclaimed. "Call me… Nit!!" Jabono laughed while Vereor and Devoren fought back a grimace. When Nit received a rather harsh look from Devoren, she went quiet. It was then that Jabono handed Devoren the picture of his daughter.

"I have my daughter's necklace in the room. If you wait right here, I can run and get it for you." Jabono said excitedly. Devoren smiled and sat himself down in a chair, still holding the picture. Vereor crept by his side and glimpsed at the girl. When Jabono had left to retrieve the necklace, Vereor leaned in to whisper to his master.

"This body has seen that girl. She was in the caves with the one who freed you." He hissed quietly. Devoren smiled.

"I didn't realize how easy this was going to be…"

* * *

Arian drooled as he looked over the items on the menu. Naomi, Aura, and Amy also silently reviewed their choices, but Link sat and scanned their surroundings. Much had changed since he had last been there, and he wasn't sure if anyone would recognize him or not. Their table was getting an awful lot of glances, but that could have been because he was sitting with three girls who were as armed as the pirates were of this world.

"Are you guys ready to order?" Naomi asked in her friendly tone. Arian vigorously nodded without taking his eyes off the menu. "Do we have enough rupees to order what you want?" Naomi asked when she saw Arian's incredibly lustful gaze at the menu. Arian frowned and shook his head.

"Don't worry." Link interrupted. "I should still have an account at the local bank. We can put it on a tab and I'll pay them later." Arian's smile grew back on his face. The waitress came and they ordered their food. Link glanced nervously at the tall, scrawny waitress that seemed to be eyeing him as she wrote their orders down. Many of the women of this town had always seemed very flirtatious, and it was unwanted by Link. She left, and Link found this waiting period to be a very good time to discuss them leaving.

"Naomi." He said, breaking up a quiet conversation between the girls. The little copper haired girl looked up in acknowledgement of her name. "Is there anything behind the iron gateway to Hyrule that we need to worry about?"

"Huh?"

"The portal in the Clock Tower? You know, the one you went through to get to Hyrule?"

Naomi looked down with a slight blush.

"Yea, about that… umm… I don't think I can get through it…"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I'm not sure if it's open, or if I could get it open."

"But you got it open before?"

"…Not exactly…" Naomi whined. She desperately looked for something to change the subject. Her wish was granted. "O look! Our food's here." Unfortunately the conversation had also alarmed it's other listeners.

"Wait, so Link is going to be stuck here?!" Amy asked with disgust.

"Can't talk now… eating…" Naomi replied as she scoffed a whole roll. "Mmph.. Mmph mmph…" She mumbled to indicate that she really couldn't talk. Link rolled his eyes and grabbed the part of the roll jutting from her mouth. Naomi squealed and quickly pulled up her hand to keep chewed pieces of her roll from flying out.

"Swallow and tell me what the hell you mean by 'not exactly'." Link ordered. Naomi did as she was told and somberly looked down while she tried to figure out how to answer.

"I went through a portal… somewhere else…"

"Where?"

Naomi racked her brains to find something that could excuse her from this hounding investigation, or maybe something near the truth that she could tell him that wouldn't give away her controversial identity. Link did not seem like the kind of guy who had boded very well with the pirates, and now that Naomi thought of it, there had been lore of a little boy in green who had wreaked havoc upon them before the Pirate-Zoran wars, but that was before Naomi was allowed out of captivity. It was also hard to make such a connection. Many people walked around wearing green. Finally a good idea for the half-truth came to her.

"I was fishing…" Naomi said, catching everyone by surprise. "I caught a big one that pulled me under water, where I was sucked into a portal that took me to your lake Hylia." Naomi smiled and laughed uneasily, she silenced herself by taking her roll back from Link and nibbling on the edges.

Link was unsure of what to think. Naomi's reaction made it seem like she was embarrassed that she had gone fishing. He knew that there was either something more to this story, or Naomi was very odd. It could have been both, but he wasn't able to investigate any further. A rather loud and excited greeting interrupted their meal.

"LINK!!!" A little yellow fairy dropped a tray that had seemed to hover over her small body and quickly flew over to their table. After circling Link twice, the fairy spoke again. "My you've grown! I thought you would be a runt your whole life. Man, is this a relief!" Link blinked.

"Yes, Tatl. It is a big relief…" Link said, much less enthusiastically than Tatl. Navi realized what was happening and gave Link her suspicious fairy stare.

"Link?! You know this fairy? Whose fairy is she?" Navi asked, slowly closing in on Link's face. Tatl answered for Link.

"I don't belong to anyone, but I let Link help me save Termina the last time he was here." The little yellow fairy bragged. Navi grew red.

"Link!! You… you fairy cheated!"

"Is there even such a--"

"YES!!!" Navi interrupted Link's statement very quickly. An awkward silence followed. Everyone was relieved when it was interrupted by another little fairy.

"Tatl? What are you-- Link! I almost didn't recognize you." The little purple fairy said.

"Hello Tael…" Link said with a sigh.

"TWO FAIRIES!!?" Navi squeaked. The little purple fairy flew over to the stressing Navi.

"Hi, I'm Tael. Who are you?" Navi quickly lost her attention span.

"I'm Navi. THE fairy of Link. Yeah, we travel together. He's not too bright." Navi said, whispering the last part. However, it was a very audible whisper and Link rolled his eyes. Amy nodded her head in agreement, making Link glare at her. Unfortunately she wasn't the only one to agree.

"You're telling me" Tatl cut in. "I only helped him so that I could get the skull kid to snap out of being a bum, but Link landed us in all sorts of troubles. And it came to no avail, that skull kid is a bum again. Link's good at getting rid of trouble, but he can never keep it away." Link bit his tongue to keep from saying anything. Amy tried not to laugh too hard, but made sure that her enjoyment of this "Link-bashing" by the fairies was very obvious. Naomi noticed the tension, and while she found it amusing, she knew that it should end before Link's ego got too damaged. Aura silently sipped on her soup, amused that the fairies were getting along so quickly and felt that it was none of her business to cut in. Naomi, however, did not have a problem with getting into other people's business.

"What's wrong with the skull kid?" Naomi interrupted, trying to change the subject. The little Tatl seemed happy to tell of the troubles with the skull kid, which was a relief to Link, but he refused to show any gratitude. Instead he pretended to listen intently while he sipped on his drink.

"Well, this isn't the only new restaurant. One opened in the Clock Tower, called the Shrub Club. It's a place where the deku shrubs work, and now the skull kid does, and he's always trying to put our fairy restaurant out of business."

Naomi nodded, but it was very obvious that she did not find this to be a very important dilemma. Link also tried to keep an interested face, even though rivaling restaurants was the last thing on his mind.

"And the worst part is that they won't let you visit the downstairs anymore, so we can't go see your forest, Link. That's why we haven't visited yet." Tatl finished.

"This means we definitely can't go through that way…" Link said in a growl. "I suppose we'll have to get a little wet and get back to Hyrule through your way Naomi."

"You mean you aren't going to help me Link?? That's not fair!!! I helped you!" Tatl fussed. Link sighed, he hated the guilt trips… and the pleading people. For some reason he could never refuse to help someone who asked, and _everyone_ seemed to ask him for help.

"Fine Tatl…" Link sighed. "I will help you, but we have to be quick about it. No offense to you, but I want to get out of here as quickly as possible." He glared at Amy and she smiled dumbly. "Let's go."

Arian began to sadly depart from his bowl of soup to follow Link, as was the rest of the group, but Link turned around sharply.

"I can handle this one on my own. It shouldn't take very long." Aura and Naomi sat down quickly, Link had taken on a sharp tone that they did not want to mess with. Arian didn't seem to care, he went back to eating anything left on the table. Amy stood for a moment and then shrugged.

"I don't want to be stuck with you alone." She snapped and then joined Aura and Naomi. Link turned and left with Tatl and Navi following him, the two fairies now talked and reminisced with one another about their adventures with Link.

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**A/n: Remember to R&R Please!**


	12. The Mystery Begins to Unravel

**A/n: Sigh, sorry it took so long to post, but I have way too much homework… I think I want to cry. I've barely had any time to eat, let alone write. **

**I thank you all for sticking with this story though, and thank you so much for your comments. Please forgive me for making you wait so long, I'm just time deficient right now. **

**Hyperfoxchild- don't worry, I understand, I'm just happy to know that you are in fact still reading, and I hope that others are too.**

**Thank you all and I hope you like this chapter.

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**Chapter 12: The Mystery Begins to Unwind**

A puff of red cloud rose from the cauldron before Devoren. The three of them, Devoren, Jabono, and Vereor, now sat in a dark room of the inn. The only light came from the fire heating the little black cauldron, and from little Nit, hiding in the corner. She shook with fear from the punishment she had received for being so friendly.

The flames cast a red light on the sternly drawn faces of Devoren and Vereor. Jabono was nervous, his two new companions made him feel rather uncomfortable. He wiped the sweat from his brow and kept himself from saying anything. The hope of finding his daughter was enough to keep him quiet.

Devoren smiled deviously as he added the necklace of the poor man's daughter into his strange stew. It bubbled and now radiated a white light. Devoren stared into the liquid with great interest. Jabono glanced at it was well, but he saw nothing but the white glow. Devoren, however, saw his daughter's whereabouts.

"She is in Termina…" Devoren said after a moment of staring into the cauldron. Jabono gasped, sweat continued to drop down his brow as he wondered where Termina was, and what kind of place it was.

"Is she all right? What is she doing?" came the questions of a worried father.

"She is fine, and appears to be having a meal with two, no three other people." Devoren waved his hand over the cauldron in a slightly irritated manner. He glared at Vereor who whimpered in return. "She doesn't appear to be with the one whom we seek." Jabono jerked his head.

"Who are you looking for? If you help me find my daughter, I'm sure we can hunt him down for you."

"Yes, you will." Devoren replied mysteriously. His dark and menacing tone worried Jabono. Devoren rose from his seat and took a step near the old man. Fear was within him, but he did not move. Jabono watched Devoren dumbly as he waved his hand across his eyes.

He quickly fell into a trance, his eyes were now glazed with white. Devoren turned back to his pet, Vereor.

"I did not see the one who released me with her." He barked angrily.

"I assure you master. This body remembers seeing her with the one."

"This may be so, but if that is true than it may be hard to separate him from his other three companions. My powers are not yet strong enough to take on the force of four plus the power that may be wielded by that sword."

"These little twits are of no threat to us master. How could they ever pose a threat to you?"

"Looks are deceiving. I saw them each very clearly. The young lad I saw with them may be clumsy, but he is still strong. Red eyes I saw on are girl are distinct marks of an ancient race of fire. They were very powerful indeed. The other girl was dressed in Zoran attire. When I last walked the earth they were a young race but very reclusive. They would not have given her such dress had she not proven herself to them with some feat of valor. This man's daughter may pose a threat on us as well, she is a bounty hunter and is trained to handle a sword. If all these are with the one we seek, then he is well guarded and we do, in fact, have need to worry."

A moment of silence passed between them. Devoren sat in a chair rubbing his temples. Vereor glanced at Jabono, who remained in the static trance.

"We must turn them on each other…" Vereor said, ending the silence. Devoren grinned at the idea.

"Exactly, so it is possible that this contemptible little man can be of some use to us."

Devoren turned back to the paralytic Jabono. He raised his hand over his eyes.

"From hence forth Jabono of men, you shall be servant to me. You shall trust me fully and without question, for I am your master. You will tell me everything you know, and will do as I say. Awaken, and begin your servitude."

The white that had clouded Jabono's eyes dissolved back into his normal brown. He blinked and seemed as he had before.

"You shall come with us to Termina." Devoren ordered. "Do not converse with your daughter until I say so. She has fallen under the spell of her captors and believes them to be her friends."

Jabono nodded, and as the spell wrapped itself around him, he dumbly followed Devoren and Vereor out of the inn, without any questions asked. Nit shyly followed behind them.

* * *

Link walked through the tall wooden doors that still stood as the entrance to the Clock Tower. Nothing much there had changed, save the freshly painted letters of 'The Shrub Club' that were displayed across the door. Tatl shivered and rushed into Link's hat.

"Hey!" Navi squeaked. "Don't mess up my room, got that!" Link passed Navi a look to tell her to be quiet. He didn't want to bring much attention to himself. While the Sun's Spices seemed a cheery place for the townspeople, this was a dreary place for the town's scum. The brutes that lingered in the dark passages of the alleys conversed at the unkempt tables as they drank their beers. Little deku shrubs hobbled from one table to another to bring more drinks and clear other tables. The poor little shrubs were too often abused by their drunken customers and now walked with permanent tears dwindling in their red eyes.

It wasn't Navi's loud voice that brought attention to them, but the shine of the fairy and mostly Link's attire. It seemed that the customers here had a strict uniform of black and dirty. Link unfortunately noticed the grimy people eyeing him, and whispering to their companies.

"Link." Navi said in as hushed a voice she could conjure. "All the people here seem to be thieves. It would be best if we kept a low profile." Link slowly turned to Navi with a dull expression due to the obviousness of her admonishment. The little fairy didn't seem to notice.

"Look!" She exclaimed. "There's the skull kid!"

Across the room the skull kid was serving other kinds of alcoholic drinks from behind a bar. His black hollow eyes found Link. Skull kid continued to shake the drink he was making as he turned to speak quietly to a large man sitting at a bar stool. The fiendish man turned around and spotted Link as well.

Link's eyes grew wide when the man began walking over to him. He reached for his sword and suddenly remembered the restaurant etiquette he had always used.

"Why aren't you pulling out your sword?!" Navi squeaked.

"I've never used my sword in a public place before… it's impolite." Navi did not respond, and slowly turned back to the large man pushing across the room towards Link.

Link knew that his sword would be particularly helpful in this situation, but he was not going to abandon his strict morals for a troll such as this.

The big man held up his club and pointed it at Link. The Hylian backed away, running into a bigger man behind him. Link turned and looked up into a roughly drawn face.

"Watch out!" Navi squeaked when the original ogre swung his club at Link. He rolled to dodge the attack. The tall man behind him tried to grab the Hylian, but he was able to slip through his fingers. They were big but very slow.

This fight had now become a game to Link. He jumped and dodged the attacks from most everyone in the club. It was rather comedic now that everyone was after one small man dressed in green. Tatl now flew out of his hat and was helping Navi in keeping Link aware of attacks at all sides.

Link was able to punch one man in the face. The power of his gauntlets made the man fly back into the crowd, but he was up again in only a moment. They swarmed around Link, making it impossible to escape.

"You should've drawn your sword Link!" Navi squeaked. Link now decided to discard his etiquette that he had always kept. His hand reached for the hilt of his sword.

"Link watch out!" Screamed an all too slow Tatl. Link felt a sharp pain on the back of his head. The knock from the club took out his vision. Link fainted soon afterwards.

It was only a moment, so Link thought. In fact it had been a whole ten minutes. True this wasn't very long at all, but Link was a hard one to keep down. Navi and Tatl were now in a jar together and Link stared into the black eyes of the skull kid. He suddenly was reminded of when the skull kid had been taken over by the Mask of Majora. He had turned Link into a little deku shrub and taken his belongings. Link quickly felt for his ocarina, it was still there, but what was the skull kid up to this time?

"It has been such a long time, Link." The skull kid said, but his tone was not of the happy child as it was when Link had left him. Now it was dark and seemingly not his own.

"Who are you?" Link asked automatically. Something in his gut told him that this question would cut deeply into the mystery. It definitely stirred something in the shadows around him. The outlines of several hooded figures appeared. A different voice answered Link.

"We are the Night's Army, waiting for our master to arrive." A deep and sinister voice echoed about the room. The dark outline of a tall man appeared behind the skull kid. "And while we wait, we thought we ought to find a nice 'hero' for him to feast upon when he arrives." Link grimaced at the thought, while his hand automatically reached for his sword. In a flash he had pulled the black blade out in front of him, with his shield in his right hand. The strange man began laughing, a reaction that Link certainly did not expect.

"So you have the Black Sword?" The man smiled malevolently. "Now how did you get your hands on that?"

Link didn't know how to respond, he remained still, and silent as he waited for the opportune moment to strike.

"What are the odds, that the little hero of Termina, would be the one to have the sword?" The man continued. He observed the bewildered face of the Hylian and continued to explain himself. "Yes, yes, the skull kid has told us _all_ about you. You have quite a reputation in these parts, you little do-gooder." He laughed as he watched Link tense up. "I dare you to attack us… Go ahead, just try." The man stepped closer to Link and crossed his arms.

Link was stunned by his willingness to be killed, but he brandished the sword, and quickly, but cautiously, struck at the man. Sparks flew as the sword hit an unseen barrier. Some force violently pushed Links arm back. The villainous man was laughing again.

"Such a weak wielder could never break this barrier, not even with the Black Sword." He scoffed. "You had best surrender it to us now, make it easier on all of us."

* * *

It was just after Link had left the group, that the soldier at east clock town, facing Ikana canyon, heard the small rumble of many tiny feet. He looked out into the distance. A man appeared to be running towards Clocktown with all of his strength. The soldier scratched his head, but then the answer came when hundreds of little bomachus came scurrying after him, the bombs on their tails flickering in the distance. The guard soon began to panic, for as the man grew closer, so did the bomachus. He turned to the town.

"Take cover!!!" He yelled to the unsuspecting townspeople and dashed to the side.

The man came running into the town, and soon after, the bomachus followed. They scattered, blowing up on anything that moved, and many things that didn't. Most of the people escaped this chaos, but many chickens unfortunately did not.

Arian, Amy, Aura, and Naomi were still sitting in the restaurant, wondering why it was taking Link so long to finish his business, when the wrath of the bomachus struck the town. They went running outside to see what was going on. What they saw was a billowing cloud of black smoke: the aftermath. Everything was now covered in a thick layer of black soot, save for a single man standing in the middle of it all; he was covered in dirt and soaked to the bone.

The man was bewildered, and somewhat in awe of everything around him. He looked around and shrugged.

"Um… Sorry…" He said to the dirty townspeople. The man then quickly left the scene of destruction.

Naomi whistled.

"Wow…" Amy muttered. "That was kinda weird."

"Yup…" Aura concurred. The four agreed to help clean up the mess the strange man had left behind.

The truant was the guard from the mountain caves. He zipped into South Clocktown. It was a busy marketplace at this time, making it easy for him to slip through unnoticed. He did not want a big scene, as it had been when the bomachus came rushing in. Curious civilians were the last thing he wanted. It was hard to explain his origin, and hard to remember after being asleep in stone for so many years.

He reached into his pocket, drawing out the strange device. It shimmered a deep red color. He took a few steps to the side, it grew dimmer. The man took a few more foreword, it became stronger. He took this path until the stone was growing brighter than it had ever been. He now stood at the doors of the clock tower.

The guard snuck through the rough place of the Shrub Club. No one even glanced at him. It was easy for the guard to make it into the back room, the deep red glow revealed that this was the door he was looking for.

Voices could be heard down the dark and narrow hallway that the door had exposed. There was light coming out of a room on the right. The guard slid up to the door and listened intently.

"Why should I give you the sword?" A man asked.

"We will get it from you one way or another. I just want this to be easier." Another voice answered in a far darker tone.

"And if I do give you the sword, will you let us go?"

The guard bit his hand to keep from shouting. He quickly looked around for another way in, it was probably not the brightest idea to go in through the front door, however…

He put his back to the wall and pressed his feet against the other side of the narrow hallway. He pulled himself up the wall to the ceiling. After situating himself above the door, he lowered his fist, and banged on the wood.

"What was that?" He heard the darker man say. The guard pulled up his scarf and covered his mouth and nose. Many burly men came running out of the door, the guard looked down and watched them look about the small hallway.

"You go that way." One said as he pointed one way down the hall. "We go this way, he couldn't have gone far." They split up. When all the thugs were out of sight, the guard slipped down and quietly went through the door. He pulled out his sword; the metal noisily slid across the sheath, announcing his entrance.

"And who are you?" Asked the man with the darker voice. The guard looked him up and down. The symbol he wore on his robes told the guard exactly who this man was.

"I am an enemy to your army and a member of the royal guard." he replied mechanically. The guard glanced at the man dressed in green, the one who held the Black sword.

"Well, Link," the dark master laughed. "It looks as if you won't be the only one to die today." The guard ignored the comment.

"Do not give him the sword, no matter what. They cannot freely take it from you." The guard ordered. He would have said more, had one of the army's henchmen not taken to sword with him. The dark master laughed. He whispered something in the little skull kid's ear, and then disappeared.

The guard continued to fight with the henchmen, as more stepped out of the darkness. As each moment passed, he became more and more outnumbered. Link desperately searched for a way out. It was then that he noticed four luminous stones encircling him on the floor.

"Take one of the stones!" He yelled to the guard when he found that he could not reach them through his invisible cage.

The guard dodged another attack, only to be smacked on the back by a club. He landed in front of one of the luminous rocks.

"Take that thing!" Link yelled as he pointed to the rock. The guard gave him a questioning look, but took the stone nevertheless. He was then forced to roll out of the way of yet another attack by club. The guard threw the stone at one of his adversaries. It was able to take him down as it broke into pieces on his face.

The clanking of swords joined the chaos, but it was not his own. The guard turned to see that Link had joined in the battle. He was able to wield the Black Sword, barely. Every now and again, the sword would swing of its own accord, sometimes to his benefit, and sometimes not.

The guard ran to Link's side as the Hylian tried to pull to sword out of the wooden wall after a most unfortunate swing.

"I swear I'm a better swordsman than this." Link told the guard. He was rather embarrassed about his inability to control his weapon. The guard nodded.

"Had you not stolen it from a member of the royal family, it may have had a better wielder."

Link was in shock. He was not a thief, and had no idea what the man was talking about, but their opponents did not give him time to argue his case. Link and the guard stood back to back, fighting whoever came towards them.

"Move towards the door." The guard ordered. Link scowled, he wasn't used to taking orders that weren't from a fairy… speaking of which.

"I'll be right back." Link said as he dove through the legs of one of the larger enemies. He dodged a blade and rolled to a little jar that sat on a table. Link quickly grabbed it in one hand, and took to fighting his way back; the unruly sword made it harder than it should have been.

"Watch my back for a moment." Link said as he put the Black Sword back in his scabbard. The guard didn't know what to think, but he didn't seem to have a choice on the matter. He took on three at once as Link struggled to open the bottle with two little fairies in it. The top popped off and little Navi and little Tatl flew out.

"Thanks Link!" Tatl squeaked.

"Now lets go to the door." Navi advised, taking on her role as Link's official fairy. She flew around each of his adversaries, helping him to better target their weak spots. Her fairy shine helped to weaken their eye sight as well. Tatl, having nothing else to do, did the same for the guard.

They slowly worked their way towards the door. It was just within reach, when all of their adversaries suddenly, and most unpredictably, stopped fighting. Link and the guard paused momentarily, not knowing what to expect. A little voice came from behind them.

"I'm sorry, I'm not allowed to let you escape." the skull kid said, he stood between them and the only way out. "Not before I have my fun."

* * *

"I'll get that Naomi." Arian took the large beam from her and carried it to the pile of wreckage they had gathered. There were a few dirty spots left but Aura and Amy had swept away most of the soot.

"That creep still isn't back." Amy muttered to Aura. She sighed as she put away the broom.

"Maybe he stopped to talk with someone?" Aura suggested with an irritated tone, pouring the collected soot into the trash.

"Or maybe he…" Amy was about to go off on another one of her conspiracy tangents when Naomi interrupted them.

"I do believe that Link has been gone long enough. We should go see if he needs help, and if he doesn't, then maybe we'll find something to do on the way there." Naomi didn't wait for them to agree with her before she began walking down the stairs into South Clocktown.

The others didn't seem to mind leaving, and Amy especially wanted to see what Link was up to. She hurried to Naomi's side as did Aura. Arian looked at the clock hanging high on one of the great walls surrounding the town, and then followed the girls out.

A loud explosion met them as they filed into South Clocktown. The guard and Link were thrown out of the Clock Tower. Behind them trailed a wall of smoke. The both of them got to their feet. The guard fled, disappearing quickly among the crowd of people that were gathering to see the spectacle. Link now realized that everyone was looking at him, and him alone, for an explanation.

"Uh… don't worry, they have it covered… a pipe blew… a big pipe…" Link then slipped through the crowd to Arian's side. Tatl and Navi silently floated above his head.

"This is a little more complicated than I thought." Link whispered to him. Arian nodded as he stared wide-eyed at the gaping hole they had crashed through. The little skull kid stuck his head out the big hole. He laughed, and disappeared into the darkness. Arian seemed to be the only one who noticed this as the rest of the towns people encircled Link.

He was unexpectedly pulled from the crowd by Amy. Link was glad to see her, although he refused to show it. Naomi and Aura pushed the crowd back, and ordered them to go away.

"It's getting near dinner time." She said without her usual scornful attitude. "We should probably find a place to stay for the night. I think there was an inn up those stairs in West Clocktown." Link nodded and followed her and Arian up the stairs. Naomi and Aura followed after dispersing the crowd.

* * *

**A/n: Please R&R! and thank you.**


	13. A Mess of Explanations

**A/n: Sorry it took me so long to post, I hope I didn't lose anyone. No one reviewed that last chapter, and that kinda worries me. However, I know people are still viewing it, I just wish I could get some feedback… I hope I don't sound too whiney, and I'm sorry for being so needy. I would just like to know what I can improve on, so if you have some extra time, please just give me something I can work on. PLEASE! **

**Well, here's the chapter. I hope that plot it becoming a little more interesting.

* * *

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**Chapter 13: A Mess of Explanations**

The skull kid skipped back to his new dark master. He was a puppet, a mindless drone. It hadn't been long ago, that the skull kid was dancing in the woods with his fairy friend to a strange tune. At that time, the dark figure had felt a stirring. This man knew something had awakened, and that he must begin making preparations. So he came out of his hiding place, deep in the forest, and happened upon the little skull kid.

It was this unfortunate happening that brought the skull kid here, to once again be used by another ancient evil.

The dark master awaited the skull kid's arrival atop the Clock Tower. He had seen the prior events, and was far from pleased.

"I thought I told you to destroy them both." The skull kid's master said angrily upon his entrance. The little skull kid put his nose to the air.

"And where's the fun in that?"

The man had unfortunately been unable to wipe the mischievousness from the skull kid in his attempt to make him his servant. He pounded his fist on the table.

"I told you to kill them both. They are a threat to us, and now that they both know of our location, we are in even greater danger." He said through gritted teeth. The skull kid shrugged.

"Don't worry Master." The skull kid comforted. "We will easily be able to take care of them."

Link wiped the sweat from his brow as they walked into the Stock Pot Inn, located in West clock Town. A little red-head stood worriedly at the counter. She forced a smile as the five of them walked in. Naomi and the other girls approached the counter as Arian pulled Link aside.

"If we get a room for the night." Arian whispered to Link. "What am I going to do? Should I just run around out in the field?" Link patted Arian on the shoulder.

"Don't worry." He said casually. "We'll get two rooms, one for the girls and one for us."

Naomi began speaking with the girl at the desk.

"Hello, do you happen to have any rooms available?" Naomi smiled. The girl looked around her.

"Huh?"

Naomi's smile dropped from her face. Aura and Amy had gained a worried expression as well.

"Is this an Inn or is the name misleading?" Aura asked. The girl at the counter rubbed her eyes.

"Oh, I'm sorry… it's just… Welcome to Stock Pot Inn." She suddenly gained a jovial attitude, surprising the three. It was then that Link came to the counter. Tatl flew out of Link's hat.

"Hey Anju!" The little yellow fairy squeaked. "Do you remember us?" Anju glanced dreamily at Link with the two fairies dancing above his head. It was then that her memory of the little green hero came back.

"You!" She gasped. "You can help us!" Link's eyes widened; not again. Amy glared in angry suspicion.

"What do you need _his _help for?" She asked in an accusing manner. Anju seemed more than happy to answer.

"Well," She started, realizing she wasn't really sure how to explain. It was then that a small blue-haired child came waltzing in behind her.

"Anju dear, your mother is getting hungry, although, she told me not to tell you… and she keeps calling me Tortus…"

Link's eyes widened even more. Even Tatl let out a surprised squeak. Naomi, however, leaned over the counter.

"Is this your little brother?" She asked naively. Link choked. He quickly grabbed Naomi and pulled her away from the counter.

"No that's her…" Link began to say through clenched teeth, but the little blue haired boy finished for him.

"Husband. Yes, I'm her husband… and before you say anything, I would like you to know that I am not ten, as I may look, but am really near my late twenties thank you very much."

The three girls and Arian were very confused. Link sighed as Tatl began explaining.

"This is Kafei!" She began. "A long time ago, when the skull kid was taken over by the mask, he was turned into a child by the mischievous little skull kid, or should I say… Majora's Mask!!!" The four of them were still greatly confused, but not as much as before. Anju continued with her explanation despite the unresolved confusion.

"And I still haven't been able to turn Kafei back into a man." She said with a slight sob. "We've been trying for nearly seven years, you know, since you left." She indicated to Link.

"Man, you should've come to me." Tatl said to Anju. "I would've told you what you need to do." Anju became hopeful.

"Please," She pleaded the fairy. "Tell me!" She fairy flew behind Link, slightly afraid of Anju's desperation.

"Well…" Navi pushed Tatl back to the front. "Tell her!" Tatl squeaked again.

"I was going to!" She cleared her throat. "Just go to the four temples and summon the giants again, I'm sure they can reverse the mask's power." Though Tatl wasn't actually certain of this, her argument seemed convincing. Anju became despairing again.

"I would go, but I have to take care of my mother. She's still not eating."

"My Deku… still? After seven years? Of Not Eating?!!! How long can one hold on???" Tatl exclaimed. A short silence followed, which was ended by Kafei.

"I will go my dear. You stay here and take care of your mother." He said.

"No!" Anju exclaimed. "You are far too vulnerable as a child, and I don't want to lose you again." She bent down and hugged the little boy; an act which was followed by the sound of a tearing fairy.

"Oh…" sniffed Tatl. Navi began to snivel to. "Link…" She whined. "We have to…"

"Yeah, I know." Link sighed. "Tomorrow I'll go and see what I can do." Anju jumped up to thank him.

"Don't mention it." Tatl squeaked. Link then decided to get back on task.

"We were just going to ask if you had a couple rooms available for us?" Link asked. Amy was immediately suspicious.

"A couple?" She stared at him.

"Yes, a couple. One for you girls, and one for us guys."

"Ehem."

"And the two fairies." Link finished after Tatl and Navi 'ehemed'.

"You mean we get our own room?"

"No, you two are rooming with us." Link told the fairies. They didn't seem too disappointed.

"I call dibs on the pointy end!" Tatl squeaked and then flew into Link's hat.

"Hey no fair!" Navi called after her. She quickly followed Tatl into his long green hat. Link sighed.

"But as I was saying." He began again, but Anju had already produced two keys for him.

"Here you go." She said with a smile. "And I hope you enjoy your stay at Stock Pot Inn, and don't forget your promise." Anju handed the Hylian his keys. Link then handed one of the keys to Naomi, keeping one for himself.

"Alright," Naomi said, "Let's go drop our stuff off in our rooms." She then scurried up the steps, followed by Aura and Amy.

"I'll go try to talk to giants first thing in the morning." Link said to Arian as they followed the girls up the stairs.

"Think you'll need any help?" Arian asked. Link answered his question with the shaking of his head.

"I don't want to have to worry about any one," A shriek interrupted him. "…else…" He sighed as they began running to see if the girls were alright. They had already gone into their room, but the door was still open. Arian and Link came running in.

"What is it?" Arian asked worriedly, but the girls were rather amused as Naomi leaned against the support beam for one of the two bunk beds.

"He startled me, that's all." Naomi said as she panted. She grew a smile as she caught her breath.

"Who?"

"Me." The voice of the old man answered Link. The two boys turned sharply to see that the old man from Ikana canyon was sitting in one of the room's chairs.

"I'm sorry I left so abruptly, but I remembered I had forgotten to buy something at the store, and now that I was down here, I thought I ought to see how you all were doing." He said in his raspy voice. The girls were still laughing at Naomi's reaction. The old man smiled as well.

"How did you know we were here?" Arian asked.

"Why did you assume I came here to see you?" Came a question response. Arian was dumfounded. The old man took this short silence to begin a mystical explanation. He turned to Link.

"So I see you have met the forces of the Night's Army, eh?" He asked. Link shrugged as he pulled up a chair next to the old man. The girls took a seat on the bunk beds while Arian pulled up a chair for himself.

"How did you know?" Link asked; it was a very redundant question, but what else would one have said? The old man laughed.

"Lucky guess." He replied. "I knew you had the Black Sword, so it was inevitable that you would meet them at some time."

"The what sword?" Amy cut in, her suspicions of Link being a thief were suddenly brought back, even though she knew now that he had not stolen her island's jewel. Sakon had, and she would have to find him… later.

The old man ignored Amy's comment, continuing with his oddly convenient explanation.

"Did you know that this sword was actually a key, that once kept a door locked?" He asked Link. The Hylian drew out the sword and took a close look at it. Tatl and Navi came out of Link's hat to have a look at it as well.

"Link… It must have been keeping whatever was in there locked inside, or something." Navi said quietly to Link. The old man nodded.

"Yes, it was keeping something locked inside. It was quite a big something actually. A nameless power from before the worlds even existed. Of course I'm sure he has given himself a name now, possibly one similar to what the ancient races called him long ago. It was back when Termina and Hyrule were both one world."

Link put the sword back into his scabbard.

"You mean that they were both one world, and not parallel… whatevers?" Aura asked from her perch on one of the top bunks. The old man smiled at her.

"Yes… You see, the four giants, rulers of this world, and the three goddesses once lived in harmony with each other… and then there were the two forces."

"Hey!" Tatl interrupted. "Four, three, two… where's one?"

"There is no one."

"Oh." The fairy ended, and the old man continued.

"In the beginning, there were three different races, one of which is nearly dead save for one person." He said mysteriously. Link had the feeling that the old man was hiding something from them, but he let him continue his random explanation. "That race was the Nynians, they were the ancestors to the Zoras, only they were much more like Hylians save for their special abilities. Another race was the Draconians, dragon people. I doubt you will be able to find them any more either. Their race has evolved and there are few like the original. Then there were Hyrulians; the ancestors of all men in Termina, Hyrule, and Minirith. However, these people were divided amongst light and shadow."

"That's… interesting… but, please, tell us more about this key…" Naomi pleaded. "Is there really something released?"

"I'm getting to that, young one." The old man responded. "Now that I have explained the setting, I ought to explain the two forces." Link nodded. "These forces were opposite, one was bent on doing good, and the other was bent on doing evil; and so, one was the sense of good, and the other made the sense of evil."

"It was soon after much of the evil was unleashed upon the world, that this bad force wished to destroy everything created by the force of good, or by any one else for that matter."

"So he was locked away by the force of good?" Aura asked. She laid her head atop her hands on the foot of the bed, facing the old man.

"Not exactly." He replied. "The force of good never wanted to fight, or lock anything away. But he took pity on the races, they pleaded with him. So, he set a blessing upon four, accounting each of the distinct sects, allowing them power with which they could weaken and bind him. He made a key, with which the chosen could lock this evil in his bindings, and a guardian was set in stone, to return the force if ever it escaped."

"Link, the statue. That was the guardian." Navi squeaked. Link nodded.

"Who are the chosen, the four?" Link asked, wondering who he needed to give this sword to. The old man laughed, he looked to Naomi.

"I see you found my staff." He changed the subject, as he saw the staff she had borrowed leaning against the wall. Naomi jumped.

"Oh, yes… I'm sorry, I just wanted something to defend myself with, since I don't have a sword or anything… and you can take it back if…

"Yes, yes." The old man replied in a laughing manner. "Don't worry, you may have it." Link became annoyed by his unanswered question, but before he could say anything else, the old man stood up.

"I can tell you more after a replenishing meal. Let us go find something to eat." He said. Link sighed, but agreed to it with the nodding of his head. He got up with Arian and they opened the door, holding it for Aura and Amy. Naomi began to follow, but the old man grabbed her shoulder.

"You know, that staff belonged to one of those ancient races. They had many secrets, this being one of them: touch that blue stone on the staff. It's right in the middle." He told her quietly. She quickly obeyed. The stone shimmered, and the metal that was wrapped around it began to unwind and slowly shrink towards its center. The wood underneath it began to shrink as well. Naomi watched in awe as the staff shrank to a fraction of the original size.

"You can put that on your belt so you don't have to worry about carrying that big thing around. Just touch the stone again if you want it to grow back." The old man said with a smile. Naomi put it on her belt as told with just as big a smile as ever.

"Naomi… uh… old man, are you coming?" Arian poked his head back in.

"Yes we're… uh…" Naomi suddenly realized that the old man was not standing by her anymore. "Did he already leave?" Arian shook his head. Link came running back in.

"Where is he?" He asked worriedly. Naomi shrugged with a most baffled expression strung across her face.

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**A/n: PLEASE R&R! please? You know you want to.**


	14. Almost About Anju

**A/n: Thank you all for reviewing, I'm so happy I got so much support, it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. **

**Yay! You are back Hyperfoxchild, and thank you Fanfic-Lover for reviewing every chapter (I about had a heart attack when I saw I had thirteen more reviews). I'm glad it's finally making sense Lutheon, I was worried that (in this chapter) I either hadn't been very clear or maybe that I threw out too much info at one time (I have a tendency to do that).**

**Its good to hear you like the story AnimeStars, and don't worry about not being able to review every chapter, sure it's nice, but I understand that sometimes, it just can't be done. I hope you aren't getting too tired of the twists, because there are going to be a few more before this story is over. Well, here's one chapter more, I hope it is good.

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**Chapter 14: Almost About Anju**

An evening mist fell upon Clocktown, making it seem as night. The people hurried to the dry buildings, away from the wet rain. The Clock Tower was empty of its crowd. Skull kid and his master stood before the great doors that were built below the base of the tower. A great wheel turned behind them as they fungal infested water ran under it. The tall man breathed heavily.

"He should be coming soon, I can feel it." He said. The doors began to creek; the rust fell in light flakes as the metal of the great doors slowly gave way to a mysterious force.

"I knew it, he's almost here." The man gasped with anticipation. Skull kid shuddered as he felt the coming storm.

The dark passageway was revealed as the metal subsided. Three figures stood on the other side; one dark and mysterious, one still stood in the darkness, and one was pale as a ghost. The figure that was still hidden in the dark stepped forward first. Light fell upon him, the man gasped with surprise.

"You… you look like." He began, but the dark image held up his gloved hand.

"The one… yes."

"Link…" The skull kid added. Devoren cocked his head to the side.

"You know him?" He asked the little scarecrow of a kid. He shook his head.

"Yes, we had him with us." The man explained. "But the guardian came and freed him from us." Devoren rubbed his temples.

"So he has found the one with the sword?"

"Yes, my liege." The man got down on one knee, placing a hand to his heart. "But do not fret, my army can take them back. I have gathered them in various places all over Termina." Devoren was surprised, for the first time he had come alive.

"What is your name?" He asked the man.

"Gaft…"

"Well, Captain Gaft." Devoren said. Gaft became giddy at the thought of being called 'captain'. "Be prepared to come with me to Hyrule. But first, I have some business to take care of." He turned to Jabono. "Come, your daughter must be somewhere close." Jabono smiled in relief. "I'm sure they have taken refuge in an inn somewhere."

"The only inn of this town is Stock Pot Inn. I can take you there immediately." Gaft said. He turned to lead them up the stairs, and into West Clock Town.

A light shone from the window in the kitchen of the inn. The storm clouds created the illusion of night. Jabono stared inside, he gasped.

"It's her. My daughter! My dear daughter." He exclaimed when he saw her having dinner with the four other characters. Devoren grabbed his shoulder.

"You cannot speak with her yet, she has been brainwashed by the enemy." He ordered. Nit flew out of his hat and circled his head.

"Hey! Another fairy!… and another you…" She looked from Devoren to the man sitting at the table with Jabono's daughter.

"Yes, he is the one…"

A loud cracking explosion surprised them all. The ones at the table ran into another room. Steam poured out of one of the near windows.

"Come." Devoren told the three; Gaft, Jabono, and Vereor. "We must wait for the opportune moment." They disappeared into the mist of the evening.

Link and the four had been eating dinner as they discussed the old man's message. Naomi had just been discussing what he could mean by 'sects' when their conversation was broken by the explosion in the other room.

They had all rushed into the room of Anju's mother, smoke was pouring out. Kafei's voice was the first to be heard.

"Am I an adult again?"

The smoke cleared, and the young Kafei stood in a strange contraption with his eyes closed.

"What are you doing?" Naomi asked, horrified. Anju coughed.

"Well… I know Link had promised to help, but I was just hoping that this would work, since the curse was set by a Majora's mask, I wondered if our wedding masks could reverse the effects, and then you wouldn't have to find the giants."

"How on Termina did you make that connection?" Tatl deadpanned. The grandmother was also coughing in her wheelchair. She then began talking in her raspy voice.

"Anju's about as good a chemist as she is a cook… and that's not saying much." Anju glared at her mother as Link sighed.

"Well, don't try anything else. I will figure this out for you tomorrow." Link ended and stepped back out to finish his meal. Arian followed behind him.

"Don't worry Anju, he'll be a man again soon enough." Naomi comforted as the girls turned to leave. Anju smiled.

Having sat back down to finish their dinner, Amy began a conversation.

"I think we should help you. That way we can get it done faster, so I can focus on finding my stone." Amy said. Although she didn't mean to bring up her stone, she was simply reasoning to herself aloud. Link put down his fork.

"I think it's best if I do this myself…" Amy glared at him, he looked back down to his plate. "What is this stone of yours anyway? Do we know where it is?"

"Sakon had it." She replied in a sassy manner. Link laughed.

"I can go by there after visiting the giant at Stone Tower. Sakon usually enters his lair in the evening." Link said casually.

"Hold on, evening?" Amy snapped.

"Yes…"

"What do you expect us to do all day while you're, doing whatever?"

"I don't know, entertain yourself."

Arian and Aura looked expectantly at Naomi. She shrugged; she couldn't think of anything to interrupt the fight with. Naomi bit her lip as she watched the fight go on.

"What if we don't want to entertain ourselves?"

It suddenly came to her. Naomi pulled out her little staff.

"Hey guys!" She interrupted. Arian and Aura sighed with relief. "Did I tell you what the old man told me?" Link and Amy quickly turned their heads to Naomi, their faces still fraught with anger.

"No." Arian answered Naomi lightly. The little pirate girl looked from Link to Amy. Naomi smiled nervously as she pulled out the mini-staff.

"See this…" She held it up. "This is the staff the old man gave me." The look of anger dropped from the face of Link, but Amy was still glaring subconsciously, making Naomi nervous. "If I push this sapphire here…" She fidgeted with it, touching the stone. Nothing happened; she began to panic. "I just push it… hit it…" She began beating it against the table. "Extend, dang it!"

The wooden pole extended immediately, shooting out to full length in the blink of an eye. Everyone heard a 'whomp' and mumbled cursing. Naomi's eyes widened.

"I am so sorry Link!" She exclaimed as she pressed the sapphire again to make it shrink. "I still don't know how to work it." Naomi and Arian pulled Link into his chair as Aura and Amy laughed; well… Aura made an effort to contain her amusement.

Link held his hand to his head. Naomi fretted and Arian sat rigidly back into his chair.

"Here, let me see." Naomi pulled Link's hand away. Under his gauntlet, on his forehead, there was a large welt in the shape of the staff's end. "Oh…" Naomi whimpered. Link glared at her, irritated by the whole ordeal. His angry glare then returned to Amy; who was laughing so much that she had begun to snort.

"I can make an anti-inflammatory and pain killer." Naomi said as she began looking around the kitchen. "I'll put it in this bottle." She pulled up an empty wine bottle. "Then you can come down and drink it, and all the swelling and pain will be gone by morning." Link sighed and slowly got out of his chair. "Arian, will you help him to your room?" Naomi asked. The two boys left, and Amy finished laughing. It made for a nice beginning to the night.

Arian locked the door, just as the sun went down.

"Here it goes." He said. In an instant he underwent the transformation. Link put a pillow to his head.

"You know, in all my years of fighting, I've never been hit on the head like that…" He said from under the pillow as Arian the wolf sat on the other bed. "It doesn't hurt, so much as it makes me really dizzy."

"Don't worry, Naomi's stuff should make you feel better."

"Do I have to take it?" He grunted as a little child would.

"If you don't make one more appearance, then the girls will come snooping around here. Just go and tell them that I've already fallen asleep, and drink that stuff. You know how persistent Naomi is."

"Now is that any way to talk about _the one_?" Link teased. Arian rolled his eyes.

"Come on now… she doesn't even like me that much. We had a moment, and then she got to know me."

"Well, not the real you. Just the overly paranoid and mysteriously disappearing you." Arian sighed heavily.

"Right…"

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Naomi was currently stirring a boiling pot full of herbs and a few other remedies that she seemed to be putting in at random. The aroma was surprisingly pleasant, a rare thing to happen in the kitchen of Stock Pot Inn. Aura watched Naomi curiously.

"How do you know this will heal Link? It looks like you're just guessing the ingredients and throwing them in." She scratched her head.

"Oh, well it's just something we Pirates come by naturally." Naomi said without thinking. She quickly realized her mistake and went stiff. Aura raised an eyebrow curiously, and Amy, who was also in the room, looked up from picking at her nails idly.

"A pirate? But I thought you lived here in clock town." Amy said, her brow creasing in confusion. Naomi stuttered.

"I-… I um…" She trailed off; she wasn't a very good liar… and that was an understatement. "Well.. I could… happen… to.. have been… yeah." Aura coughed uncomfortably.

"Naomi, just tell us the truth. You can trust…me…" she looked at Amy awkwardly. Amy turned to Aura, surprised.

"Of course you can trust me too!" She flushed. Aura nodded, her eyes apologetic. Naomi spoke timidly.

"But.. you promise not to tell Link… right?" She looked at them pleadingly. "I know if he found out, he would have trouble trusting me… And we have enough trust issues as it is!" She looked at Amy pointedly. Amy nodded with a genuine smile, something she hadn't done for a while.

"Of course we won't tell!" Aura replied enthusiastically. Naomi sighed in relief.

"I am a pirate, and I was born one… to my knowledge. But I don't really look like them… or act or talk like them for that matter." Naomi's eyes gazed back at her pot. "But…" She sighed. "Do you understand why I don't want Link to know?" The pot began to simmer.

"Woah," Amy interrupted the conversation. "Don't dip your hair in it too!" Naomi looked at Amy confusedly and then at the pot.

"Oh!" She pulled her hair back, to keep it from dipping into the pot. "Thank you."

"Here, just tie it back with my ribbon." Amy let her own hair down, the brown waves framed her face. She handed the red ribbon to Naomi.

"Thank you." Naomi laughed. "Your hair looks nice down." Amy grunted, being unused to compliments. The pirate girl wrinkled her nose in another laugh as she turned back to her pot, tying her hair with the ribbon.

Her dress ruffled in the back with the movement of the arms. A small blue portion of the top, however, did not move at all. Aura squinted, it seemed to be a part of her skin.

"Is that a pirate tattoo?" She asked naively. Naomi stopped stirring the pot to glance confusedly at Aura.

"What?" Amy was also confused by the question.

"That blue thing on your back?" Aura pointed. "What is it?"

"Oh that…" Naomi said in a regretful tone. "It's not a tattoo… it's a birthmark." She began trying to move her ponytail so it would cover the marking. "It's just another thing that separates me from the pirates." There was a short, awkward silence as Aura lost her attention span. The word pirate rang in her head.

"But don't worry." She regained a train of thought after Amy coughed. "I know what you mean about the… trust issues..." Aura replied, staring accusingly at Amy. A moment of silence passed as Amy slowly caught on to the hints.

"What? Why do you guys keep looking at me?" Amy asked defensively. Naomi couldn't help but grin slightly.

"Well, as long as we're being _honest_… You and Link sure haven't hit it off." Amy rolled her eyes.

"That's obvious! I can't stand the guy! He.. just brings out the worst in me. I swear, I don't usually act this way, I just.. I despise him." She scowled, thinking of him. Aura was a bit curious.

"Well why? He seems nice to me… well.. most of the time…" Amy groaned.

"Well, when I first met him, he had the nerve to call me a _thief_! And he is so arrogant! He thinks that just because he's a hero, he can just step all over normal people like me!" Aura coughed, badly concealing her laughter.

"Normal? You're pretty far from normal. And you call him a thief all the time!" Naomi said candidly and poured the completed mixture into the empty wine bottle. Anju walked into the kitchen, smiling at the sight of the girls.

"Oh, so you're finished eating?" The three girls nodded. "Alright, well I would appreciate some kitchen space, because I need to cook some dinner for my _mother_… she still won't eat!" Naomi thought for a moment.

"Do what I do, pour wine on it while it's cooking. It usually adds a lot of flavor." Anju nodded distractedly, while she turned on the stove. Naomi continued,

"Well, if Link happens to come by, will you tell him to drink from this bottle?" Anju made a sound of affirmation as she gathered ingredients.

Aura, Naomi, and Amy all walked upstairs, passing by Link. Naomi stopped him abruptly.

"Link, I finished the remedy for your head. It's in the kitchen, ask Anju for it."

"Alright, I sure hope this stuff works." He replied somewhat tiredly. As Link turned the corner, he heard her call out 'drink _all_ of it!'. Link waved his hand.

He waltzed in on Anju monotonously stirring a foul smelling soup. Link cringed as he gagged silently.

"Uh… Anju?" He called, wondering if he should disturb her. She made a faint noise. "Did Naomi give you my remedy?" He saw her nod and point to a counter with a two wine bottles on it. "Wow, she made a lot." He said aloud as he walked over and picked up the first bottle. Link took a sip gingerly.

"This tastes pretty good." He commented, but Anju wasn't listening. Link went to the lobby to finish his remedy.

"Wine… I should add the wine now…" Anju muttered to herself as she reached over to grab the other bottle.

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**A/n: I wonder if you guys can guess what's going to happen next? Well, I'll try to get the next chapter up a little sooner than this one, sorry for the delay. Please R&R!**


	15. The Drunken Happening

**A/n: Hey guys, thank you all so much for reviewing. And here's a quick and apologetic announcement, I forgot to add some pretty important information in the last chapter, when the girls were talking about Naomi and her pirate deal. You might want to go back and just read through the new stuff, because it's going to come into play in the next few chapters. Sorry, I was planning on adding it, and then completely forgot. **

**FanficLover- don't worry, I love it when people review. I was just in awe at how many reviews this story actually got, I've never gotten this many. **

**Luthoen- I'm glad you could understand what is going to happen. I'd rather some parts be obvious than un-comprehendible. And yeah, I am trying to leave some mystery to be figured out later. I'm hoping this story will fit together like a puzzle, and I'm hoping that it's fun to read that way.**

**Well enough of my jabber. Here's then next chapter, I hope it is amusing.

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**Chapter 15: The Drunken Happening and the Longest Night**

"As we said." Naomi continued to Amy. "You and Link just have that random trust issue for no apparent reason. Sure, you two got off on the wrong foot, but what keeps you guys hating each other now?" Amy was quiet.

"I…" She began, but then drifted momentarily into thought. "He's a jerk to me!"

"No he's not. You're just too sensitive." Aura stated bluntly. Amy became even more defensive.

"Yeah, well you know, you don't have too many redeeming qualities yourself." She replied a bit irritably. Aura looked down, a bit ashamed.

"We all have issues." Naomi said matter-of-factly, "but we're talking about you at the moment ." Amy sighed heavily.

"Alright, so maybe I have been a _little_ hard on him."

"That's an understatement." Aura said, becoming her blunt self again. Amy rolled her eyes.

"I'll… um… I'll go talk to him after we put these sheets on our beds." Amy looked over to the bare mattresses and piles of sheets.

"We can do that later." Naomi shrugged her shoulders. Amy shook her head in reply.

"No… I don't want to talk to him _now_." Amy grunted. She was still turning over her thoughts, trying to decide why he really did get on her nerves so much. Something about it didn't quite add up, even to her.

Link was almost finished with the remedy. He didn't really feel the pain anymore, but the dizziness seemed to be getting increasingly worse. However, he felt giddier than he had ever felt before, considering he had never actual felt giddy before. Navi flew out of his hat, causing him to wince at the quickly moving light.

"Navi." He slurred his words, the little fairy became a blur of light to him. "Whoa Navi, slow down."

"I'm not moving Link… you don't look so good."

"What are you talking about, I feel fine." He burped.

"I better go tell the beast boy in there that you might be a while." Said a yellow blurry light. It flew up the moving stairs. He suddenly heard footsteps coming down, if only they would stop moving so he could see who it was.

"Link?" A beautiful woman was suddenly close to him, and he was in drunken awe of the gorgeous brown locks encircling the heavenly face. "Link? What's going on? Are you… Ugh!" The loud noise was familiar to him; it was Amy! She had smelled the alcohol on his breath. "I can't believe the nerve of you!"

"You're really pretty when you're angry…" Link couldn't help but say. It seemed that his common sense had been put to rest for the night. This comment only made Amy angrier in a very confused manner. Her face became contorted in bewilderment.

"You're drunk!"

"Then you're really pretty when I'm drunk…" The next thing he knew, he felt a sharp pain slash across his face.

"You jerk!" Amy screamed. "And to think, I was going to apologize for being mean to you!" She then turned and stormed up the still moving stairs.

"Where are you going?" He called after her. Amy yelled again as she turned to go into her room. Naomi and Aura sat speechless. The little pirate was the first to conjure up enough courage to talk.

"So… how did it go?"

"He's _drunk_!!!" Amy exclaimed as she slammed her face into a pillow. She felt incredibly embarrassed and did not want them to see her blushing. Naomi and Aura exchanged a worried glance as they rushed from the room to help the drunken Hylian.

Naomi was the first to reach him, Link did seem to be altered.

"What did you drink?" Naomi grabbed the bottle from his hands.

"Your remedy." Link replied slowly, his words were still a little slurred. Aura smirked.

"That does seem to be your concoction thing." Naomi glared at her.

"It had no alcohol in it." She sniffed the bottle. "This, however, is wine… but if that's the case, then where is my…" Before she could finish, something most unexpected happened. The grandmother came running out of her room, happily waving her arms.

"WOOHOOO!!!" the old woman exclaimed. "I've never felt so alive in my life! Anju actually made something good! I can't believe it, and I feel GREAT!" Anju's mother ran about the room, exiting up the stairs, Anju frantically followed her.

"Mother," She called. "You need to sit back down… I'm never feeding you again! Mother!"

Aura and Naomi exchanged baffled expressions as they looked from the frantic Anju to the bottle Naomi held.

"Well, at least now you know my remedy worked… just on the wrong person." Naomi sighed as Aura waved her hand in front of Link's eyes. He attempted to catch it, but had no luck in doing so.

"No joke." Naomi and Aura glanced over at the drunken Link.

"It's a good thing I also know how to sober people up… Pira--p, people! In my family have a tendency to drink, so, yeah…"

"Nice save." Aura joked. Naomi shrugged.

"He's drunk." She then went back to the kitchen. Link looked at Aura as she slowly became a blurry mass. Then there was darkness, the last thing he heard was a scream of disgust from Aura.

"He threw up!" She yelled.

A pungent odor awoke him. He jolted out of his delirium, opening his eyes to see all three girls staring at him. Even Amy had come down. Her cheeks had a slight blush, making Link wonder if she had always had blushed cheeks when she didn't wear a scowl on her face. He didn't have much time to ponder that, as her face resumed the scowl when she realized he was looking at her.

"What happened?" Link asked as he sat back down. Naomi sighed.

"You drank the wrong bottle. I was able to get you sober with this remedy, but unfortunately you are still going to have a hangover in the morning. Don't worry though, I'll fix you up something for that too."

"Is there anything you don't have a remedy for?" Navi squeaked as she swirled around his head. Link was glad that she wasn't moving so fast anymore.

"Toe fungus." Naomi's voice rang out as she walked into the kitchen. The group cringed at the thought. An awkward silence followed as Naomi finished pouring a mixture for the hangover into a bottle.

"Keep this by your bed. That way there won't be any more confusion." Naomi walked back into the room, and handed Link the bottle.

"Well, I'd better get to sleep…" Aura said through a yawn. They hadn't realized how late it was. Naomi nodded.

"Yes, we'll all do better after a good night's sleep." She concurred, following Aura upstairs. Link sat for moment and rubbed his temples. Amy's boot began to slid across the floor, bringing his attention back to her. There was a look of concern in her face, Link grinned.

His look of amusement made Amy sneer and shake her head as she slowly turned to go back up the stairs.

"You were worried about me…" Link said, wondering if he may still be under the affects of the alcohol; he had never really had any before, there had never been enough time in a day.

Navi flew from Link to Amy, something she would do whenever he wished to speak with someone. Amy stiffened, turning rigidly.

"Yeah…" She started. "But that's only because you know how to get my stone back. Sure, I wasn't too worried about it for a few days, because of the cave and the beast and the fangs…" Amy stopped imitating the scary fangs when she realized Link was still watching her. Her eyes darted back and forth as she remained awkwardly silent for a moment.

"But now I'm back on track!" She exclaimed, trying to convince herself more than Link. She remembered how much faith her mother and Mrs. Cassidy, the dragon tamer, had in her, but Amy never felt that much faith in herself. Her attention focused back to Link, he still stared at her with that grin on his face. "I'm going to find that stone now… and then I'm going to leave." Amy quickly turned to go to her room, before there could be another awkward silence.

Navi flew back to Link, hovering around his head as he got up to go back to his room, where Arian was hiding beneath the covers incase a curious Naomi thought to check in on him. None who left the lobby noticed the curious eyes watching them through the window.

The guard rolled his peering eyes as he sat back down. He had arrived only ten minutes before. Though he had not seen Devoren and his company leave, he knew that the great evil was now in Termina, thanks to another ancient device of his. The guard rubbed his chin, a look of disgust hung across his face.

"Great, a drunkard has the Black Sword." He said to himself, pulling out the device to once again stare at it in disbelief. Another deep blue glow had joined the red, signifying Devoren's imminence. He sighed.

"And now that bastard is here. I'm going to have to get that thing back now, before _he _does." The guard glanced up at the windows. A hope crawled into his mind. If that man, Link, goes to sleep, it's possible that he will take off the sword. Thereby allowing someone else to take it. However if he slept with it on, then he risks being trapped by Link and his company. The guard tried to remember the number of people he had seen with him.

With another sigh bursting from his lungs, he replaced the device in his belt and turned to the wall.

"Well, it's now or never…" The guard trailed off as he began scaling the wall, searching for Link in each of the upstairs windows.

A candle flickered on a table in the dark stone room. Junk was piled beside the walls, along with other precious items.

Gaft had taken the group into a back alley of East Clocktown, it lead down into the town's sewer systems. Once this had been the hideout of a young group of boys, but now they had grown, as had the stone passageways below the observatory. The Night's Army now used the secret passageways of this system that ran throughout the city. Devoren was quite pleased.

"I knew I could trust the wickedness of man." He said to his companion, Vereor. Jabono stood sullenly behind them; the spell still held strongly to him, and he remained oblivious to the impiety of Devoren. Nit silently flew above Devoren. Her dark glow was of neither evil nor good, but obedient.

The skull kid stood in the corner, impishly examining his surroundings. Gaft stood watching him, momentarily, and then joined the other three at the table.

"Let us discuss our own business." Devoren said to Jabono. The old man nodded dumbly. No questions were asked as the skull kid led him back into the sewer passageways. Devoren then turned back to the matter at hand.

"So why are you so interested in my coming?" He asked Gaft. The man laughed.

"The good are unjust, and unwanted. The reign of the righteous is over, it is time for evil to rule. It will be every man for himself, without the weak to hold him back. I just want to make sure that I am one of those who comes out on top."

Devoren smiled. He could see that this man was even more wretched than Sakon, but this man seemed to have a better edge than that of the greedy thief. Sakon had been ignorant, but Gaft knew very well what was going to happen.

Vereor patiently watched Devoren for his choice of action.

"So you wish to survive in the age of villainy?" Devoren asked Gaft, the man slowly nodded a reply. Another malicious grin crossed Devoren's face.

He got out of his chair and drew a chalice out of the various piles bordering the stone walls. Handing it to Vereor, he returned to his seat.

"Let us make him one of us…" Devoren said in a monotone, the grin was still on his face.

Vereor grasped the chalice and held it to his mouth. His eyes turned black, he began wheezing.

The wretched sound echoed about them. Gaft tensed, becoming uncomfortable. A foul smelling substance spilled from Vereor's mouth into the chalice, it was the same black as his eyes. Gaft cringed in disgust while Devoren's expression remained unaltered.

"What is that?" He exclaimed as Vereor wiped his mouth, returning to normal. Devoren took the chalice with the black slime and looked at it casually.

"When my mission is complete, the very earth will be poison. The air will be un-breathable, and no one will be able to satisfy their hunger or thirst, without succumbing to death of its new toxins. In order to survive, you yourself must be of that same poison." Devoren extended the chalice to Gaft. The man choked on the smell. "Drink this, and you will be like one of us."

Gaft stared at the black poison he was to drink. His hand hesitated bringing it to his mouth. The chalice finally reached his lips, the stench caused him to jerk back. Gaft tried again, and again he withdrew.

"I can't." He said with the grimace on his face. Devoren shook his head in reply and rubbed his gloved hands.

"I was so hoping you would choose to rule beneath me, but alas, you shall die."

Gaft's expression hardened, his throat was dry, and his stomach churned. He wanted to throw the poison from him, but he wanted power even more.

Closing his eyes, he swiftly brought the chalice to his mouth, opened, poured, and swallowed as much as he could. His reflex spit most of it out. The chalice dropped to the floor as he brought his hands to his neck, holding them to his throat as though he were choking. Gaft leapt from his chair, it too was pushed to the floor. The wood beat against the stone as he gasped for air, while ceaselessly spitting. Devoren smiled.

Jabono sat with the skull kid near one of the underground aqueducts that fed water to the city. Both seemed a little perturbed by the sudden inhuman cries that reverberated off the stone walls. Jabono's eyes widened in curiosity, but the spell forced him to become apathetic again. Skull kid, on the other hand, shook, as did the little fairy Nit, who bore witness to the horrible transformation.

* * *

**A/n: Please R&R, sorry this took so long. I'll try to have then next one done sooner. And, yeah, that last part was really gross, but kind of awkwardly amusing in a way... or at least I hope it was...**


	16. In the Moonlight

**A/n: Sorry this one took so long, but as you can see, it is a rather long chapter. I'm so glad you guys have liked this story, I'm having so much fun writing it. Thank you all for your reviews, and I'm glad you found the drunk Link amusing, we did too, and it gave a nice intro into the guards new character. I'm so glad, after this chapter All six main characters will Finally all be together! Well, I hope you like it, and I'm sorry it took so long.

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**Chapter 16: In the Moonlight**

Arian and Link slept peacefully on the wooden beds while Navi and Tatl were curled up in the Hylian's hat that lay on the floor with his boots, gauntlets, bags, and the sword.

The moonlight streamed in, but it only cast misleading shadows that danced on the walls. There were red embers glowing in the fireplace, and if you squinted, you could see a light blue and yellow glow coming from Link's hat.

It was so peaceful, that neither boys nor fairies noticed the window glide open and the dark figure of the guard step in.

The guard's chest rose and fell quickly, but no breath could be heard. He had been trained to be completely silent when need be, even if he were out of breath.

Arian sighed, and rolled over. The guard was frozen, while he stared at his escape window, but Arian was still in deep sleep. He relaxed, and wiped the sweat from his brow as his eyes drifted over to Arian's bed.

The moonlight struck the wolf boy's fangs. The guard was stunned and nearly gasped, but instead he swallowed, and crept to the other side of the room.

He was fairly sure that this was Link's room, because he was positive that none of the others were. So he desperately searched for the Black Sword. His heart leapt when he saw what seemed to be a scabbard lying on the floor. The guard immediately pulled out his ancient device, to confirm his suspicions. He quickly cursed his decision.

The glow within the stone had become so bright that it illuminated the entire room. Arian was the first to wake.

He snarled. A deep-throated bark caused the guard to stumble back as he quickly returned the ancient device to his pocket. Link awoke as Arian growled, Navi and Tatl had also arisen, and were now lighting the room with their fairy radiance.

The guard panicked as he reached for his sword, but Link was already upon him. The Black Sword was pointed at his throat.

"You again?" Link growled. Arian stood behind him, sniffing the air. A worried expression crossed his face.

"She's coming." He said quickly to Link. The Hylian became annoyed.

"Great." He said in a sarcastic tone as Arian pulled out some rope.

"Don't worry, we'll take care of him, before we open the door." The wolf boy growled. Link continued to hold the guard at the point of his sword.

"You try anything funny…" Link stopped, he didn't know how to finish. Sure he had heard threats, but he had never really given them. Only one more word could escape his mouth. "Yeah…" The guard looked around awkwardly as Arian bound his hands and feet. Link replaced his sword and they both pulled the guard into a chair, tying him to it just as three girls began pounding on their door.

"Link? Arian?" Aura called.

"Is anything wrong?" Came Naomi's fretful voice.

Arian worriedly looked to Link and shrugged. They both began looking about the room.

"Pretend you're asleep." Link queried. Arian laughed at the idea.

"Of course, I didn't even notice the loud noises that were somehow heard three rooms down!"

"Okay, bad idea." Link sighed. The guard looked back and forth between them. His expression at first reflected great contempt for being caught, and failing so miserably, but this humorous and rather odd affair made his mood soften to bewilderment.

"You could climb out the window." The captive suddenly said. Arian and Link were both stunned.

"Well um…" Arian coughed as he looked towards the window. "Thanks. That's actually a good idea…" He walked across the window and judged the distance to the ground. There was a cleft right below his window, and if he jumped from that, it wouldn't be a long distance to drop.

"Keep my secret, okay?" He told Link again as he jumped to the cleft, and then to the ground, running away from the inn to find a good hideaway for the remainder of the night.

An eager fist pounded the door. Link cringed as he heard Amy's voice.

"Link you drunkard! Your noises have woken up the whole place!" She shouted. He sighed as he looked at the guard.

"She sounds nice." He said with amusement despite his recent failure. Link shook his head as he went to open the door.

Just outside stood the worrying Naomi, the curious Aura, and the most annoyed Amy, irritable from being awoken at such a strange hour.

"What's going on?" Naomi asked in her soft, but tired voice. "I heard growling, and…" She looked about, un-phased by the man tied to the chair. "Where's Arian?"

"He um…" Link found that there were only two things he was really bad at: threatening people, and lying. "He had to go to the bathroom again."

All three girls stared at him with disbelief. The guard rolled his eyes.

"This is pathetic…" He sighed, somehow forgetting that he was a captive of Link. "I saw him going to the bar!"

"What?… Arian?" Naomi stepped past Link towards the guard, allowing for Aura and Amy to see him; a look of surprise crossed their faces.

"Hey, why is that guy tied to a chair?" Aura wondered worriedly. Amy was too baffled for words, but Naomi didn't seem to care. The guard continued speaking.

"Yeah, the guy with black hair and the fang--" He started but Link quickly stepped on his foot. "Ow! Fang-- fan-ciful good looks."

"Well… I never really thought of it that way." Naomi looked at Aura, they both shrugged. "But, he does have black hair."

"Yeah, I saw him going to the bar on my way in here."

"When did you get in here?" Amy stepped in behind Aura.

"Arian went to a bar to drink, and he didn't tell anyone? " Naomi began to grow annoyed. "What an inconsiderate jerk!" Link gulped nervously.

"What he… uh…" Link pointed to the guard, and then to Naomi. "No he's not." Naomi and Amy began asking Link questions simultaneously.

"Stop!" Aura shouted, all became silent. "First things first. Who is he?" She pointed to the guard.

Link said nothing, and a slightly perplexed expression came upon his face. The guard couldn't help but snort.

"I am Damien, protector of the great door!" He said arrogantly, "I am the guardian meant to keep a great evil locked away." Link looked at the scabbard.

"Was this sword the key to the door?" Link asked, remembering the old man's words.

"Yes." Came the shamefaced reply.

"Good Job." Aura butted in. Damien craned his neck to look at her.

"I'll have you know that this was prophesized to happen!" He exclaimed. "I knew I was meant to awaken from my 1000 year slumber when some idiot pulls the sword." He then looked back to Link. "It's a good thing you just stole it."

"I did not steal it!" Link said indignantly. Amy smiled.

"So you are the idiot." She laughed.

"What?" Link sighed heavily as Navi snickered. Tatl just nodded knowingly.

"You can't be the one, only a descendent of the key bearers may remove the sword. You don't even bear their mark." Damien stared at Link skeptically.

"Key bearers?" Naomi asked, finally joining the conversation.

"Must I explain this whole thing?" Damien sighed exasperatedly. Tatl flew around him.

"Well, you are the one tied to the chair." Damien grew a scowl on his face again.

"You must untie me, and give me the sword, if I don't get it and return him to his prison, then… then… You must trust me." Damien ended with a plea, but the group was not moved.

"How can we trust you when you don't trust us?" Naomi asked softly.

"Yeah, we just got finished talking about _our _trust issues." Aura interrupted. She wrinkled her nose. "And we don't need any more issues!" She added. Naomi looked to the floor sheepishly while Amy flushed angrily.

"Well then , just give me the sword, and you won't have anymore issues." Damien cut in. The girls stopped to think.

"Well." Naomi began, "I suppose, if we don't want anymore trouble…"

"Hold on!" Navi squeaked. "Link, you promised to protect the good of the people, didn't you?"

"Must you always throw that in my face." Link sighed. "Yes, but this is getting ridiculous."

"Link." Navi whined, "How do we know that he isn't working for the bad guys. It has happened before."

"That's right Link. I thought the skull kid was good, but he was just possessed." Tatl added. The guard began grinding his teeth.

"When did men begin listening to silly fairies?" He hissed. Tatl and Navi flew behind Link.

"Since they helped us protect the forest, and save the world… though they are irritating beyond belief." Link said with a sigh. Naomi began to shake her head and rub her eyes.

"I do not believe that we will be able to make such a heavy decision with such little sleep. Whatever this sword is, it is direly important, and giving it to the wrong person may have dire consequences." The group listened to her voice of reason. "Let us just go back to bed for now, and decide this tomorrow when we have more reason."

"And what about me?" Damien jumped in his chair.

"Are you hungry?" Naomi asked with a yawn. Damien lost his angered expression.

"Um, err… yes actually." Naomi nodded and started towards the door.

"You girls go on back to bed, I'll just get him some food and join you later." She said wearily. Amy and Aura seemed happy to comply. They left with a stretch and a tired wave.

"Good night." Amy said absentmindedly.

"Good… uh… night?" Link watched her as she left. He shook his head.

"That's an odd one. A dragon one minute, a deku the next." Damien uttered. Link hung his head between his knees as he sat down on the bed.

"I'm getting a headache."

"That's the hangover kicking in. Go ahead and take my medicine. It will help you sleep." Naomi said with an eerily mechanical reply. Link reached his hand over the side of the bed and grabbed the bottle. She looked wearily to Damien. "I have some bread, cheese, and some water. Is that good enough?"

"Yes…?" Damien replied, scared to say anything else.

"Open." Naomi ordered as she tore of a piece of bread and stuffed it in his mouth. "Here's the water to wash it down."

"Give me time to chew." He said as he swallowed the bread whole.

"I'm sorry. I'm just a little, preoccupied." She handed the food to Link. "Could you take over, I might choke him." Naomi pulled her arms across her chest and slowly walked out.

She sulked into the girls bedroom and let herself fall onto her bunk.

"You okay?" Aura asked as she peeked her head from her top bunk. Naomi shrugged, her arms were still crossed.

"I guess. It just bugs me. I don't know what Arian could possibly be hiding, and why would Link cover for him?"

"I told you." Came a sassy, but drowsy reply from a dark corner. "They are in cahoots to kill us all." Snoring could soon be heard. Naomi and Aura exchanged sardonic looks. Aura then jumped from her top bunk to blow out the lit candle on the table.

"Are you going to sleep?" She asked Naomi. She shrugged apathetically.

"I don't think I can. I'm tired, but…"

"But?" Aura arched a brow skeptically.

"I think I'm going to take a walk. The night air should do me good." Naomi began to pull off her nightgown to dress into more durable clothes.

"Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'll be fine. You should get some sleep. I should be back in thirty minutes or so." Naomi waited until Aura had climbed back onto her bunk bed to blow out the candle, and leave.

* * *

Arian ducked from the sight of two civilians. He jumped into a small alley, stumbling forward when he found what appeared to be a straight ground was actually slanted downward.

"What was that?" He heard someone say. Footsteps began to scurry in his direction. Arian turned to run deeper into the dark enclosure.

His yellow eyes pierced the darkness; he barely needed a glow to see through night as if it were day. He was quick but silent, like a wolf.

Arian stopped when he came to water. There was an underground aqueduct that ran before him, and there were several stone platforms that rose just above the water's surface. He listened to the footsteps of the people who were still following him. He jumped, landing as quietly as he could on the raised block of stone. The running water drowned out most of the noise, including the sound of the footsteps. Arian stood straight, craned his neck and sniffed the air. A confused expression crossed his face.

"Skull kid?" He asked himself, remembering the pungent straw-like scent he could smell on Link when he had been blown out of Clock Tower by the little devil.

He followed the scent, jumping from platform to platform until he reached the other side. The sound of the water subsided as he crept around the corner of one of the halls. His keen ears could now pick up the soft sound of voices. They were hushed and mumbled due to the layers of rock that were between himself and the speakers. Arian pressed his ear against the rock, trying his best to make out the words.

He withdrew momentarily, the pungent smell of the fungus growing on the stone walls had surprised him. Now he breathed through his mouth as he listened to the secret conversation.

"It won't be easy to get… sword… master." The words were jumbled, but Arian was able to make out that much. The answering voice was much easier to follow.

"I know that Vereor!" He sounded outraged. "Nothing is easy, but we mustn't simply focus on the sword, I believe it would be wise to destroy the key-bearer as well."

"His friends?" Another voice sounded. It was slightly garbled as well, but Arian was getting better at filling in the blanks.

"If we have to, we'll destroy them too." Answered the clear voice. The voices suddenly stopped. Arian suddenly felt nervous, as if they had somehow discovered his presence.

"Bad wolfie!" The childish voice of the skull kid rang out. Arian pulled his ear from the wall. How could he have let the skull kid sneak up on him like that?

"Now I have to tell on you." The little misfit rattled his arms and legs as he laughed, and then took off down the hall. Arian growled and began to chase after the little kid.

His chase brought him to a dark, square room. A stone door dropped behind him. The torches suddenly became lit. Arian gasped.

"Link?" A most unexpected, and familiar face appeared behind his supposed friend.

"That is him!" Jabono yelled. "He is the one my daughter was after. She was meant to kill him!" Arian's heart sank to his gut when he realized what he had gotten himself into.

"He has already seen too much." The dark figure of Link said. His monotone voice was unlike that of the Hylian Arian knew.

"He heard too much too." The skull kid interred. Arian snarled at him.

The Link character turned to one of the other men that stood beside him. The man stood tall with dark hair, his eyes were now bloodshot.

"Why don't you try out your new form?" He suggested as he and the others turned to leave. Before he disappeared into the darkness, he uttered his last order. "Kill him." The man turned to Arian with a devious smile.

Jabono couldn't help but laugh.

"I told you that you would pay for what you have done!" The evil Link grabbed the old man by the arm.

"Come, we have much to do." Another stone door closed behind the group. Arian looked back to the man in charge of disposing of him.

"I am General Gaft." He said with much poise. Gaft jumped from the platform he stood on, disappearing from the eye until he landed on the ground two feet in front of Arian. "Say goodbye."

Arian snarled, pulling out his claws, he lashed at Gaft. His attempt was thwarted when the general forced a punch into his gut, sending him hurtling into the stone wall behind them. It cracked from his impact.

Gaft bent low to ram his shoulder in his chest. The stone wall behind them shattered. Arian curled up in pain among a pile of rubble.

"What? This is no fun." Gaft mocked him. "I suppose I'll let you catch your breath, and throw some punches before you die. Besides, I do need to work on my defense, even though I won't really need to use it, now will I?"

* * *

Naomi was on her way back to the inn when she bumped into a strange man.

"I'm sorry." She said in her quiet voice. He looked her up and down, smiling.

"Why it's all right. You can make it up to me, by giving me the honor of your accompaniment to the bar."

"The bar?" Naomi smirked. "Why I would gladly go with you."

"It is just around this corner." Naomi laughed when she found that the bar was just across from the Stock Pot Inn. She looked at the door, and then back to the man who had suddenly donned a cow mask. She covered her mouth to keep from laughing.

A little latch opened on the door. An eye peered out through it.

"Ah, you are a member, please come in." A voice said. The door opened, the man holding it stood as a butler would.

"My this is a fancy bar." Naomi smiled as she looked at all of the cow pictures that were hung across the walls as they went down the stairs. Everyone in there wore a similar cow mask. The bartender was rubbing a glass behind the counter.

"What'll it be Norm?" He asked when he saw the man with Naomi.

"I'll have a Château de Romani, and a regular for the little lady." The bartender turned behind him and filled up two glasses from the barrels behind the counter. "Put it on my tab." He added.

Naomi took the glass of white liquid skeptically. She glanced around, looking for Arian.

"This is the strangest beer I have ever seen." All who heard her began laughing.

"Beer?" the bartender laughed. "This is a milk bar, we have none of those other kinds of bars here."

"Milk?" Naomi sipped on her cup. "Milk…" She laughed as she shook her head. Naomi looked for Arian, but he was no where in sight. She turned to the man.

"I'm sorry Norm, but I have to go." She sat down her glass and scampered out the door.

The door closed behind her as a low crash resounded in the distance. A night wind blew on her face, something inside her stirred in worry. She could hear some sort of struggle commence. Naomi's curiosity got the best of her, and she began searching for where the battle was taking place. The noises of a fight became louder when she neared a dark passageway in the courtyard behind the milk bar.

Naomi quickly crept into it, down an incline into the underground aqueduct. After lighting a torch from one of the walls, Naomi began working her way across the stone platforms in the water. She could hear a voice echo about the walls.

"Oh, I'm sorry." The deep and mocking voice said. "Did I rip your stitches? My that looks like it hurts." The false sympathy was followed by another loud crash. Naomi gasped and began running to where she assumed the sound was coming from.

She didn't need to run far; the wall of the corridor before her caved. A strange creature was laying on the ground amid the stone. Naomi reached for the staff she still had on her belt.

Gaft stepped through the hole in the wall.

"Aren't you going to get up and try again?" He asked mockingly. Gaft bent down and picked the wolf boy up by his neck. "I was just having fun." His victim let out a garbled moan, he reached for his neck, trying desperately to pull Gaft's hands from him.

"Stop it!" Naomi screamed, catching them both by surprise. "Extend!" She added just as Gaft turned to her. Her staff beat against his face, forcing his neck to turn farther than normality would allow. He winced, continuing to stand tall, and cracked his neck back into place. Naomi gasped, stepping back in timid fear. Gaft laughed.

"Well, what do we have here?" He threw the boy to the ground, taking a step towards Naomi. "What is such a beauty like you, doing down here?" Naomi held her staff in front of her, shaking. He grabbed it's edge and placed a hand under her chin. "You have come all the way here just to be with me, haven't you?"

He screamed in pain when the wolf boy ripped some skin from his back. Naomi shrieked as Gaft turned around and threw him to the stone walls once more. The wolf boy grimaced, but he seemed to be getting used to it. Gaft bent his shoulder as if he were going to charge again.

Naomi shook her head, and took a firmer grip on her staff.

"I told you to stop!" She hit the back of his leg, just behind the knee. Gaft broke from his stance and fell to the ground. His face hit the other end of the staff as Naomi kicked the back of his head. He lay unconscious.

"Come on." Naomi pulled the wolf boy up by his arm. She gasped. "You're bleeding." He pulled himself from her grip before she could see the stitches. "We don't have time to be daring, lets just get out of here." The two had barely started out before Gaft was slowly rising back to his feet.

"Where do you think you're going?" Gaft reached for Naomi, a clawed hand knocked him away. Arian growled.

"Do you really think you can take me in your pathetic state? I have already beaten you." Gaft tried to punch him again. "So now you have learned how to dodge? Okay." He tried to pick him up as Naomi attacked with her staff. Gaft grabbed the edge and pulled it from her grip, pushing her back.

"No more of that." He said as if talking to children. Naomi and Arian exchanged glances. They both turned to Gaft. Arian moved as if he were to attack, Gaft retaliated as Naomi jumped onto his back and began clawing at his eyes. Gaft reached for her as Arian beat him in the stomach.

Gaft was able to grab her arm and throw her at the wolf boy. Arian caught Naomi and sat her upright, they faced Gaft back to back.

"So what? Now you are both going to attack me?"

"Why not?" Naomi answered with a laugh. Her confidence worried Gaft. He lashed out angrily. Arian grabbed his wrist as Naomi elbowed his nose. She then grabbed his other arm, and together they threw him to the ground.

Gaft stood, looking even angrier than before. Another charge, and he found himself on the ground again. He brought himself to his feet, his face seemed livid with fury.

"That is enough!" He yelled. He whipped his hand towards Naomi; a black slime shot out at her. She pulled her arms up in defense as the black slime pulled her hands to her face, wrapping around her body down to her feet, and forcing her into the water.

"Naomi!" Arian reached for her, but he recoiled when he felt a sharp pain in his gut.

"Naomi is it? I'll be sure to put that on her tomb for you." Gaft mocked him.

Arian snarled ferociously; an intense anger pulsated throughout his entire body.

Gaft overestimated his own strength and power, boldly grabbing the wolf boy by the neck. Arian continued to growl low. In one enraged thrash, he threw himself at Gaft. Arian cut a deep gash into the General's neck.

Beneath the water, Naomi struggled against her unnatural bonds. The markings on her back began to alight as her heart raced, worrying about the battling beast. As the glow grew, the hold of the strange slime weakened. It retreated from her until she was able to grab a hold on it.

Naomi pushed herself from the water, and flung the thing from her. Arian jumped out of the way, letting it land at Gaft's feet. The general was hunched over in pain, holding his neck, when he realized that his own slime was beginning to crawl up his foot.

"No!" He exclaimed in a gargled and hoarse voice. "Stop!" He ordered it, but the slime did not obey its inexperienced master.

It oozed up his foot, binding his legs together. The more Gaft struggled, the more it grew. He tried to pull it off, but it only swallowed his hand, and commenced in crawling up his arm. The slime stopped growing after it had completely enveloped the general.

Naomi lay on the ground at Arian's feet; they both stared, mouth agape, at the defeated general. This silence was not disturbed until the wolf boy smelled the stench of the skull kid nearing them.

"You should get out of here." He pulled Naomi to her feet. She seemed rather insulted.

"As should you." She picked up her staff and placed it back on her belt. "You ought to come back to the Inn with me. I can tend to your wounds there." Arian wrinkled his nose.

"You can't see me can you?" His voice was hoarse and rough.

"Well, somewhat." Naomi replied, slightly bewildered. "I can see enough to know you are hurt." Arian bowed his head.

"Then I should be going, before we are cursed with any more light." He quickly jumped onto the platforms in the water. Naomi crossed her arms as she watched the mysterious shadow turn away from her, exiting from the dark chambers.

"Your curse may be my blessing." She muttered under her breath as she hopped away from the bound Gaft and towards the exit.

Naomi momentarily sat in silence, until she heard the footsteps coming towards her. She gasped and quickly ran to the streets of clock town, and back into Stock Pot Inn. After washing her hair, and cleaning her wounds, she slipped into bed without waking Amy or Aura. There was no use in waking them when she didn't know what she could tell them.

She knew there was something odd about that boy in the sewers and something even stranger about their attacker, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

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**A/n: Please R&R!**


	17. Too Early for This

**A/n: Okay, yes this one is very short compared to the last chapter, and it probably took longer to write, because I had 7 exams, and I was certainly brain-dead after them. But I was able to write over Christmas, and that was the greatest joy for me (well, after opening presents and spending time with family). Any way, I hope you like this chapter, and Merry Christmas! Feel free to wish me Happy Chanukah or Merry Kwanza, whatever you wish, but I will wish you a very Merry Christmas for the sake of being politically incorrect. Lol, well I hope I didn't lose anyone over the long wait, here is the chapter!

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**Chapter 17: Early to Rise**

It was 5 AM when the bruised and battered boy climbed back through the window. He no longer had any fangs or fur, but dried blood and blue bruises showed brightly on his skin. Link cringed at the sight as he slowly arose to consciousness.

"How are we going to explain that?" Damien awoke at the sound of Link's voice. He nodded his head up and shifted in his chair, pulling on his bindings.

"I can't believe you left me tied up over night." He whined as he cracked his neck. His gaze shifted over to Arian. "Whoa, what happened to you?"

"I saw… you." Arian sat on his bed and rubbed his temples. "Only it couldn't have been you, because you were here, and I knew that, and it didn't smell like you, but it looked like you."

"What?" Navi squeaked, another little voice groaned from inside Link's hat.

"TRYING to get some BEAUTY sleep HERE!" Tatl shouted as Navi flew to Link's head.

"Beauty whatever." She retorted.

"I heard that!"

"Okay, moving on." Link interjected. "What do you mean looked like me?"

"Last night, I hid out in the sewers, underneath Clocktown, and while I was there, I found the skull kid, and this guy who called himself 'General Gaft'."

"General… that's an army term." Link said, recalling his capture and the 'Night's Army'. "Was he tall, dark, menacing?"

"Very." Link looked to Damien.

"That sounds like him." The guard said from his chair. Arian grew a puzzled expression on his face.

"Well that's not all." He continued. "I overheard them talking about… um… destroying the… err…" Arian scratched his head as he tried to recall the nights events. "Key-barrier… no-- bearer!"

"Key bearer?" Damien's jaw dropped. "Then he must be here already."

"Who?" Navi squeaked.

"Has no one ever told you this legend?"

"No sorry. All we have is some absent-minded old man who only tells us part of the story." Damien rolled his eyes.

"'He' was released when the sword was taken, the sword is the key."

"Yes, we knew that, but who is this 'he' we are dealing with?"

"He is the dark one, all evil is spawned from him. He has no name, but I assume he has given himself one by now."

"I heard the name 'Vereor'." Arian said as he began to wash off the blood in the room's sink. Damien wrinkled his brow in bewilderment.

"But that means 'fear' in the ancient language, and that is what 'He' created."

"Well what is 'He' capable of?" Link asked.

"Anything."

"If it's anything like that General, we're in for big trouble. If Naomi hadn't come to…" Arian stopped himself. "Naomi… she saw me!"

"Did she recognize you?"

"I don't think so, it was dark. The only light was a candle on the other side of the sewers. And I doubt she has night vision like me."

"Yeah, but she might recognize some of those bashes in your head. Was she there for the fighting?" Damien asked, continuing his helpful inquiries.

"A little of it." Arian looked in the mirror at the bruises that speckled his face. "And I wouldn't know how to explain these things anyway."

"I told her that you went to the bar last night. Just say that it was a bar fight." Damien suggested. Link shrugged.

"Just don't ask me." His eyes widened. Arian sighed, calling Link's attention back to the real situation. "So was that all that happened? Did you hear anything else?"

"Just that he's also thinking of killing anyone who gets in his way." Arian said sullenly. All present thought of the girls lying asleep in a different room. "He's after you Link. You must be the key-bearer."

"Yes." The guard sighed. "If you say you saw a man of Link's appearance, then I don't doubt you." Link and Arian stared at him awaiting an explanation. Damien continued. "That's part of the binding spell, he takes the form of whatever was last in the mirrors when the sword was pulled. Luckily, that form also keeps him weak, or, weak-er rather."

"And he also has outside help, I saw two other men with him…" Arian struggled to continue as he sat down next to Link. "I knew one of them."

"Really? Who was it?" Navi asked naively.

"It was Aura's father." Link's eyes widened.

"You knew Aur-- MMPH!" Navi was muffled by Arian.

"Sh!" He hushed her. "You MUST keep this a secret. You don't understand…" Arian couldn't finish. Damien stared at him expressionlessly.

"Enlighten us then."

"I…" He started, stopping only to make sure no one else could be listening. He began again in a whisper. "Over the mountains, on the other side of Gerudo valley, where you found me." He whispered to Link.

"Yes, where people are getting into that manufacturing thing."

"Yes, the people who make things like bombs, arrows, potions; they are slaves." Arian explained. "On the other side of those mountains, there is a great slave trade. You see, when the king released his claim on that land on Ganondorf's request, mass chaos grew. Poverty struck us all, and wages for factories fell to basically nothing. Then, since there were no laws, it got to the point where you could basically _own_ your workers. Then it spiraled, and now you either own slaves, or you _are_ a slave."

"What are you?" Tatl asked, waking up to hear the story.

"My mother refused to own another person, so she and I became slaves… Under Aura's father's command."

"Now how did you get across the mountains?" Asked the guard. Arian rubbed his temples.

"Just tell us the whole story." Link interrupted.

"My mother died shortly after we were sold to him. She couldn't handle the workload I guess." He sighed. "I was ten at the time."

"Don't feel so bad, Link lost his mother when he was only one!" Navi tried to comfort him.

"Thanks for that Navi." Link replied sarcastically. The little fairy shook as Arian laughed.

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"Continue the story, so we can figure everything out." Damien rolled his eyes.

"Okay…" Arian sighed. "Well, about two weeks ago, after _years _of working for that horrible man, I came upon this beastly creature as I was on mining duty. I was alone at the time, because Jabono doesn't care if his slaves die, and I just happened to tick him off that day. Well, anyway, it attacked me, I have the scars to prove it, but it was the best thing that ever happened to me." Arian thought of Naomi. "And the worst."

"You became a beast." Damien finished.

"Yeah, how did you guess?" Arian asked with a hint of sarcasm.

"Not only the fact that you are one, at night anyway, but also the fact that those beasts were the result of a blessing bestowed upon the Hyrulians of shadow, and I'm assuming that beast that attacked you, deemed you worthy of receiving such a blessing." Link and Arian glanced at each other.

"Then we have one of those four we need to seal it back, right in this room." Navi concluded. Damien smiled.

"I suppose we do. What dumb luck." Damien shook his head. "Well, continue telling your story, it seems you are almost finished."

"Yes. Well, I, with this new-found beast ability, tried to free my fellow slaves, and that obviously pissed off all of the slave owners. Unfortunately, Jabono's daughter had just finished training to be a bounty hunter," Link widened his eyes, Arian continued, "and she had the potential of being the best in the business, until she fell and hit her head chasing after me through the Gerudo valley. I-- thinking I was safe-- then rested and suddenly found myself surrounded by Gerudos." Arian laughed. "And that's when you came along, but that's about it." Link shook his head, connecting all of the awkward moments between Arian and Aura. "She was sent to kill me, with strict orders from her father, who is now working with the enemy. And this is why, we _must _be sure to keep Aura from remembering _anything_." Link bit his lip.

"Wow…" Tatl added. "This is certainly going to be difficult." There was a knocking at the door, startling them all.

"It's Anju!" Called the little red-head. "Wake up call, breakfast will be ready soon." She then moved on to the next room. Link looked to the guard.

"Well now that we know I am the key-bearer, and Arian is one of the four, can we trust you?" Damien shrugged.

"I'm only here to serve. I was just confused, you aren't wearing the royal crest." He said as Arian began untying him.

"Why? Is the key-bearer somehow related with the royal family of Hyrule?" Link asked with a laugh. Damein responded with a laugh of his own.

"I should say so, the Royal Family is the _line _of the key-bearers." Damien said as he rubbed his newly-freed hands. He patted the shocked Link on the shoulder and then headed downstairs for a good breakfast. As the door closed behind him the Hylian snapped out of his daze.

"Wait a minute!"

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**A/n: Did you like it? Lol, well, please R&R!**


	18. Coming to Conclusions

**A/n: Happy New Year! Here's a gift!**

**Guess what? I had a lot of inspiration, and us author's got together, (if you read the profile there are two people planning and writing this story… and we actually got to hang out and write together this holiday.) : ) I am so happy, and don't worry if you guys couldn't review or read earlier, I'm just happy someone is reading. Well, here is the plus chapter, and we even got half way through the next one. Yipee! **

**Chapter 18: Coming to Conclusions

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The three girls sat at the breakfast table sipping on hot tea as the boys arrived. Damien sauntered in first; the girls were happy to see that he was untied and acting nicely. Arian hid behind the door a moment, and then gathering his strength, he walked in. Naomi's eyes widened when she saw the bruises, but she bit her lip from saying anything. Aura, however, spoke right up, making him feel unnerved. She raised an eyebrow as he sat down.

"What happened to you?" Arian shifted uneasily in his seat.

"I um…" He glanced at Damien who nodded his head. "I was in a bar fight." Naomi rolled her eyes.

"Really," She pretended to sound interested. "It's amazing how violent people become when they're drunk." Arian nodded.

"Um… yeah… Hey Anju, could I get some water or something?" Naomi half-grinned as she clenched her teeth. She sighed angrily, but passively. Only Amy noticed this time, as Aura was focusing on the omelet Anju placed in front of her. Though not particularly tasty, the food was filling, and that's all that these rough travelers cared about.

Link soon came in with the two fairies trailing behind him. His face was slightly pale.

"Now when you said royal family line, did you mean the Hylian people or--" Damien cut him off.

"No, the actual royal family. I simply found it hard to believe that you were royal blood, but I suppose the times really have changed." Damien looked him up and down. "Well, you do have the signature blue eyes and blonde hair."

"Wow Link." Navi swirled around his head. "Wait till Princess Zelda hears about this!"

"Princess huh? So is that your sister or fiancée?" Damien asked casually, not knowing the gravity of his news. Link was speechless, while Amy was turning red.

"You are a prince?!" She almost screamed. Link shook his head, but Amy ignored this frail denial. "I can't believe you! No wonder you are so arrogant." Everyone at the table, save Amy, Link, and Damien, who was unaware of their quarrelling past, immediately sank in their seats as they awaited the next eruption, but this time, Link did not respond. He sat down and began talking to Damien.

"You must be mistaken." He explained. "I was raised in a Kokiri forest. My mother was a Hylian, but she died…" Link realized that this was not a good argument against Damien's accusation.

"Yes, then she was the queen." Damien replied as Anju set some tea in front of him.

"No… I…." Link scratched his head as Navi was deep in thought- which was quite unusual for her.

"Oh!" A connection snapped in her little blue ball of a head. "I get it, that's why Zelda only has a father! And why she recognized your name, remember, when you were saving Hyrule for the first time!" Link nodded as Damien cocked his head.

"What was going on when you were born?" Link raised his head and thought.

"It was a war Link! Remember?" Link nodded. "Yes, your mother was running away from the fires of war, and that's when she found the Deku Tree."

"It must have been a severe war."

"Yes very, Why?" Navi continued speaking for Link.

"Well, otherwise you and your sister would not have been separated, but I understand that. Oftentimes when the royal family is endangered, they will separate so that there is greater chance for survival." Damien shrugged and took a sip of his tea.

"So you didn't know?" Arian laughed. Link shook his head as Aura and Naomi cast a reprimanding gaze on Amy. She blushed and bit her lip.

"Oh." She whimpered. "Sorry, Link." Link's eyes widened as he shifted his gaze to her. "But it's only because I was wrong this time." Amy tried to recover, but the awkward silence had already come. She stood up rigidly. "I'm going to go to the bathroom."

"Yes, and then us girls should go down to the wash place. I don't remember the last time I had a good bath." Naomi added. "We'll meet you there." She said to Amy as the red-faced girl left the room. "Tatl, Navi, we would appreciated it if you joined us, and told us if anyone were coming while we bathe." The two fairies jumped at the thought of being wanted. Naomi stood, giving Arian a hateful glance as she left.

"I'll be there in a few minutes!" Aura said with her mouth full of more omelet. Damien looked at Arian.

"She looked angry." He whispered to her. Arian shrugged. "So, you never want to leave a woman angry. They can be vicious little devils."

"I heard that!" Aura shouted, covering her mouth to keep food from falling out. Damien nodded.

"But its true." He replied. Aura shrugged and nodded as she swallowed her mouthful. Arian bit his lip and then left his seat, after being shoved by Damien. The boy then quickly followed after Naomi. She was coming down the stairs with a towel and some clothes to wash.

"Naomi." He called as she brushed by him. She stopped and coldly turned.

"Yes?" Arian stood awkwardly.

"Um… I couldn't help but notice… Um… Are you a little, maybe, frustrated?" Naomi sighed and smiled. His apologetic face kept her from really being angry, but the distrust they had for each other frustrated her beyond reason.

"I… just a little." Naomi pulled the clothes closer to her. "I'm just angry that you got into a bar fight with some drunkards." Arian shrugged and nodded as Naomi's look became angrier. "When the only bar in town serves _milk_!" Arian's eyes widened as Naomi turned to leave. "And by the way, you ripped your stitches." Naomi added as the door slammed shut.

"So… you are covered in your own evil slime." Devoren stated blandly. General Gaft stood frustrated but frightened at the same time.

" He got help." He said slowly, hoping the dark lord wouldn't ask from whom this help was given. Yet he cringed when that exact question came from Devoren.

"Naomi, the shortest girl with the staff, from the inn. She was with the one." Devoren raised a blonde eyebrow.

"Do you mean to tell me, that you were defeated by a little girl and her dog?"

"Well… Well I… They worked together! As ONE!"

"Then separated, they should be weak…" He replied, turning to Vereor, the dark beast. "Keep an eye on her. Maybe we can pick her from the pack."

Naomi was rubbing her skin raw in the laundry pool. Her burning anger showed in her fair complexion.

"I just can't believe him! He lied to us… About going to a bar! That was the lie!? Normally guys try to cover that up! He's just making himself sound worse… unless…" Naomi couldn't finish.

"No, I don't think he's working with the enemy…" Aura said as she washed her tan face. Naomi's eyes widened.

"But maybe he was fighting against it!" Amy surfaced the water from washing her hair.

"Who ate it?" She asked, misunderstanding everything.

"What? Nobody ate anything." Aura laughed.

"Good, because I wanted that pie." Naomi and Aura looked at each other and laughed.

"Well anyway, continue Naomi. Why do you think Arian was fighting against the evil forces?" Amy caught on to the actual conversation and swam over to them as Naomi told the story of her interesting night in the sewers.

"… I couldn't see his face though." She said after the story. "But his stitches were ripped, like Arian's…" Amy nodded.

"Well then he must be the creature, or beast-like man."

"I'm fairly sure it was a man, and if it were Arian, he must have been wearing a fur coat, but why wouldn't he tell us?" Naomi growled. "It's not like it's a horrifying secret!" Navi and Tatl laughed near their posts.

"To him it is!" Cried Tatl.

"SH!" Navi hushed. "Remember what he said!"

"So I guess he was that strange man…" Naomi dead-panned, wondering why Arian would be wearing a fur coat in the sewers at night. Aura was deep in thought.

"It was a beast." Were the first words out of her mouth. "I was sent to go after a beast."

"Aura! You remembered something!" Amy cried. Navi gulped, but it was left unheard.

"I'm afraid that's all I remember."

"Well, at least we learned something about your past." Naomi said pleasantly. Amy wrinkled her nose in discomfort.

"You know, I really haven't said anything about where I came from, have I?" she stirred her hand in the water. Aura nodded.

"No, you really haven't."

"Well, I live on a… a… a floating island." Amy said sheepishly. "With dragons." There was a very long awkward silence.

"Oh." Naomi's voice cracked. "Well, that's nice. I can understand why that would be a problem… telling us that is." Aura coughed uncomfortably.

"Yeah, it's not like it's some well-known place." Amy continued. "It's actually right off the coast of the Great Bay." She froze, hearing some movement nearby. Looking around with heightened senses, she hesitantly continued.

"Anyways, I doubt any of you have ever seen this island, let alone heard of it. That's because of two things: the fact that it doesn't have a name, and that stone that I was going after." Naomi was intrigued.

"So that stone has a cloaking ability… Was it the one thing that hid your island from everyone else?"

"Um… yes." Amy said, baffled. Both she and Aura were amazed at the pirate's critical thinking skills. "When it was stolen, we were very alarmed. That one stone was the only thing that protected us from outside attackers… well, that and the dragons." She made a face, still angry at the stupid prancing ninny.

"Who stole it?" Aura asked.

"That stupid, prancing ninny." Amy muttered, not aware of what she was saying. She had heard more movement and was becoming paranoid. Naomi made a connection.

"Hey wait-- was he bald? And did he have a stupid grin on his face?" Amy nodded enthusiastically.

"Yeah! Why, did you see him?"

"I distinctly recall throwing him over the edge of our pirate walls, when he tried to pilfer our fortress." Aura snorted, finding the whole situation hilarious.

"That must have been when Ignus, my dragon found him. The poor dear was looking for a safe place to explore when he came upon Sakon, and was tricked into taking him to our island."

"Oh," Naomi whimpered. "The poor dear." Amy nodded in agreement, opening her mouth as if to say something more, but she stopped when she heard more movement. Pulling on a towel, she got up out of the water. Naomi and Aura watched in confusion as she ran over to the wall separating the laundry pool from east clock town.

"A-HA!" She yelled, yanking Damien out from his hiding place. Yelping, the two other girls also put their towels on. Aura grabbed one of her twin blades, her other hand holding her towel up.

"What in Termina are you doing here?! I knew you were bad news!" Aura growled. Damien shielded his eyes and turned around in a gentlemanly way.

"I just came to tell you, on Link's request, that you three need to hurry up." He said very calmly, as if trying to charm deadly serpents. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"Wow! He actually apologizes!" Navi said, bouncing around his head. Looking to Navi, Amy rolled her eyes.

"Thanks for telling us he was there, Navi." Tatl seemed sheepish.

"Don't mention it!" the bouncing blue fairy said. Damien cleared his throat.

"Oh, and by the way, your island was once called Draconia." Amy stopped.

"You mean, this island is over a thousand years old?" She was curious now.

"Yes, it was the home of another one of the great races, the Draconians." Amy raised an eyebrow.

"You really need to tell me more about this!" She said, forgetting their current apparel.

"_After_ we're not in the nude." Aura added on sharply. As if on cue, Damien nodded curtly and walked away. He grinned like an idiot though, when out of sight.

The girls were dressed and now they found themselves all meeting in the girl's room (considering it was the only room with a table and chairs). Naomi's hair, which was now used to being wet, hung in rings around her face, while Aura and Amy struggled to pull theirs back before the boys arrived. And they did, as Amy was still trying to tie the wet ribbon. Link certainly walked in at an awkward time, seeing as how Amy was hunched over to get the hair on top of her head into her ribbon. Of course, it never worked properly, what with the hair always falling around her face.

Amy saw Link from between her legs and quickly stood up straight, and she rigidly sat in a chair. Aura snickered.

Damien was the last to walk in. He grabbed a chair, swung it around, and straddled it. Link stood, leaning against the wall, and Arian sat opposite Naomi. Each glanced at one another, quickly averting their eyes and only meeting each other's gazes temporarily.

"Well isn't this an interesting group." Damien muttered as he rolled his eyes. "Well, to get things started. The sooner we confer with the rest of the royal family, the better. We need the help of the royal guard, which was what I was a part of, I only hope they too haven't changed for the worse."

"How soon do we need to leave, because I did promise Anju I would help her, and that might take a few days." Damien's eyes widened.

"We don't have a few days. We need to leave _now_."

"Why now?" Asked the practical Naomi, hating to break a promise. The guard sighed.

"Because every day, that _creature_ is growing stronger." He responded. Aura shuddered.

"Then I suppose we should leave now…" Link sighed. "The whole world is a little more important than Anju's love life… I will help her as soon as I get back." Amy nodded.

"Me too." Link was surprised; he was used to Amy's paranoia, not her kindness. Damien sighed.

"Well then it's settled. We'll leave right now. Do you know where the nearest portal is?"

"It should be in Clock Tower." Link said. "or, 'The Shrub Club.'"

"Well at least we know _they_ are not there anymore." Damien added. Amy raised an eyebrow.

"How do _you_ know they aren't there?"

"Yeah… And who's they?" Aura asked. Damien quickly informed them before any argument could begin.

"They are the evil guys, and we know they aren't there because I have a tracking meter on them." Aura and Amy both dumbly nodded and the conversation continued.

"Then I suppose we should all pack our things." Naomi suggested. Damien nodded.

"We'll meet in the lobby."

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**A/n: Please R&R! And just because you loyal readers got this far, we thought you might like to know, that each word document will only contain 50 pages each, and this story as a whole is on part three. You have read over 100 pages 10 font- does it seem like that much? Lol, well we also have some alternate endings/middles, and if you would like to see the C.R.A.P.P. alternate middle, just say so in a review. It's hilarious, but we'll explain why we just couldn't use it. **


	19. Next Time, We Walk

**A/n: Hey, sorry it took so long. Hope it's really good, and also hope we didn't lose anyone in the long wait. There was just no inspiration to write, which really sucks. And yes, I did delete the Goofy chapter as I said I would. I just wanted to have a nice flow to the story, I might post it again when it's finished. Hopefully this story will come to a conclusion by this summer, maybe sooner! Well, hope you like this one, took forever to write! lol.

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**Chapter 19: Next Time, We Walk **

Having snuck through the regular group of thugs that intermittently entertain themselves at the Shrub Club, our heroes found themselves facing a large rusted door at the bottom of a stairwell. Link recognized it as the door he had come through many years ago.

"So how do we open it?" Damien turned to Link. He shrugged. Amy began banging on the door, Link quickly seized her.

"Do you want to attract attention from them?" Link asked referring to the thugs lounging upstairs. Amy pulled her hand from his grasp and hid behind Naomi while making a face at Link that she didn't expect him to see.

"How did you get through last time?" Damien asked the Hylian. Link didn't have to think since Tatl answered for him.

"Remember, the happy mask man let you through after you saved Termina!"

"Do you remember seeing how he did it?" Damien continued. Link shook his head and the guard heaved a big sigh.

"Then this was for nothing!"

"Wait, Naomi had a portal." Arian spoke up. He cringed when he saw the look on her face, for she had hoped they would not have to go near the ocean, but now, with everyone's attention directed at her, she was forced to make it an option.

"I… did. Near the Great Bay… in the water." She replied in an icy tone, her heart began to beat in anxiety, realizing that she had been gone for nearly four days. The pirates were probably hunting the shores for her. Damien didn't seem to care about the tone in her voice.

"Good then, now lets head to the bay."

"If only there was a way to _fly_ there…" Amy groaned, not wishing to walk the whole way. Tatl suddenly had a revelation.

"Link! Link! Do you remember the Song of Soaring?" The little yellow fairy spun around his head. Link looked off into the distance thoughtfully, and then slapped his forehead.

"Yes…" Link sighed. "I can't believe I didn't think about that when we were going to Clock Town!"

"What the heck is the Song of Soaring?" Aura piped as she wrinkled her nose. Tatl seemed happy to explain, as always.

"There are owl statues scattered throughout Termina, and with a certain melody, you can warp to any of them." Naomi nodded.

"Goodness." She exclaimed. "I do remember some odd looking statue near the Zora's Hall, and the Professor's house." She laughed. "We had been using it to dry seaweed." Link sighed.

"Well… I've never transported more than one person and a fairy before… but we could try, I guess." Link gazed upon all present and heaved another sigh.

"Wait so…" Amy muttered, "are you going to sing the song?" Link shook his head. "And do I have to be _touching_ you, or can I just touch somebody who is touching you?" Link shrugged as he pulled out his ocarina.

"If Link were singing this song, the Giants would smite him." Tatl joked.

"Thanks Tatl."

"No problemo!"

Arian and Damien held onto Link's shoulders, and Arian distinctly felt the vice grip of Naomi's hand on his own shoulder. He coughed awkwardly, feeling very uncomfortable to have an angry woman at his back. Aura held to Damien, and Amy held onto Naomi's narrow shoulders. She hoped fervently that she would never have to touch the Hylian.

The off-key melody of the Song of Soaring echoed about Clock Tower's basement. Amy glanced around, and as the melody encircled them, she noticed that she was the only one not disappearing into feathers.

"Crap!" She yelled as the group vanished. Tatl was also left behind, since she had been flying over Amy's head at the time. Tatl squeaked.

"Well, I guess it stops working on the third person in line…" A short silence followed as Amy fumed. "Guess we gotta walk!" The fairy said cheerfully.

"You know, I was the only one who _didn't_ want to walk!" She seethed. "And you can fly anyway!"

"Yeah I know…" Tatl flew to the door. "Come on! I know the way."

Meanwhile, the rest of the group appeared at Zora's Hall. Naomi quickly turned around.

"Where's Amy?" She gasped. Link began to smile, but Aura elbowed him before Naomi could notice.

"Um… I'll just warp back to Clocktown." Link stopped a moment. There was an awkward silence.

"Are you going yet?" Naomi put her hands to her hips.

"Uhh…" He pulled out the ocarina and played a very slow version of the song. It was ill-timed fate that Gangor, Naomi's Zoran admirer, should walk out just as Link disappeared.

"Naomi!" Her fish friend dropped his basket of seaweed when he saw the pirate girl, quickly running to embrace her.

"Gangor…" Naomi replied less enthusiastically as his fins wrapped around her. Arian tensed.

"The whole sea has been looking for you. Your mother and the others even made an appearance at Zora Hall!" Naomi's eyes widened as she shoved him from her.

"They aren't here now, are they?" Gangor cocked his head to the side.

"Uh, no…"

"Good." Naomi sighed. A short silence followed. Damien drifted by Aura's side as the two watched Arian slide between the Zora and Naomi, he glared at Gangor in as threatening a manner he could conjure. "Oh, Gangor, this is Arian."

"Hello…" Gangor smiled as he held out his blue hand. Arian took it without a word, and the two began to rigidly shake hands.

"Okay…" Naomi smiled awkwardly. "Um…" The two didn't stop shaking hands; their knuckles began turning white. "And that is Aura and Damien." Naomi pulled them apart with a forced laugh.

"Well, you must join us for a meal. I'm sure you are starving, where have you been?" Gangor smiled as he began to pull Naomi inside.

"Uh, we kind of have to do something… important." Damien smiled mischievously as he nudged Aura in the side.

"Wait, don't we have to wait for Link and…" He laughed as Naomi interrupted him.

"No!, uh… yes…" She whimpered. Gangor smiled as he began to pull her hand inside.

"Then come, I shall tell Lulu you are here." Arian fumed as the three followed them into the bowels of Zora Hall.

It was at this particular time that Link reappeared at Clocktown just in front of the owl statue beside Clock Tower. He quickly snuck back into the Shrub Club with Navi hiding her light in his hat. Running back down the ramp to the large metal door, Link found Amy and Tatl to be no where in sight. He rubbed his head and looked underneath the metal ramp covered in green fungus.

"Amy?" He called as quietly as he could. Navi flew from his hat and began aiding him in his search.

"What if the big ugly guys upstairs have her, Link?" Navi asked worriedly. Link's face, in the presence of no one but the fairy, did indeed turn pale at the thought. He stood up straight and bit his hand.

"Well, first we must find out if that is the case, and we must hurry." He quickly ran back up the ramp, leaving behind the floating Navi.

"Hey, I'm the wise fairy! I give the orders mister!" She quickly flew after him, circling his head as they reached the top of the ramp.

"Um, where should we begin looking Link?" Navi squeaked, bringing the silent attention of everyone in the room. Link sighed as he saw the regulars who he had last quarreled with staring him down.

"Look," One of the grunts called. "It's the little green man, here for another beating." Navi froze and shivered.

"Are you going to draw your sword this time Link?" She asked worriedly. The sound of scraping metal answered her question as the Black Sword shined in his hands.

"Do you think you can wield it this time?" Navi added again. Link didn't respond, he parried an attack from the tall beast who had clubbed him the last time. In a quick swing, he cut the man's club in two, an angry expression was worn tightly on his face.

"What have you done with her?" He asked with a growl as he held the man at sword point.

"Who?" He asked as he backed away.

"The girl, brown hair pulled back, a yellow fairy was with her." The large man was stumped, and even though his intelligence was hardly ever worth mentioning, the thug had a moment. He recognized the look of desperation on Link's face and saw an excellent opportunity waiting for him as one of his buddies began to sneak behind Link, holding a long chain in his hands.

"Ah yes, the girl." He began with a mischievous grin on his face. "You see, we caught her comin' up the stairs. She is a pretty little thing, feisty too. We had lots of fun with her." He said in a scathing tone. Link clenched his sword and drove forward with the intent of slitting the man's throat, but as Navi squeaked a belated warning, Link felt a chain wrap around his neck and tighten, pulling him away from his prey.

Link dropped his sword, bringing both hands to his neck in an attempt to secure an airway. Navi quickly flew into the eyes of his attacker, forcing the blinded strangler to temporarily loosen his grip. Thus Link was given just enough time to slip from the chains' hold and force the man back.

Having no time to tarry, Link grabbed the Black Sword and placed it back into his sheath. In a forward roll, he was able to slip through the gang of men coming to join the fight and run to the stairs in the back. He quickly scaled them, and desperately he and Navi searched whatever room they could.

"Amy?" Link called as Navi shouted to Tatl, but no answer ever came. The band of men downstairs quickly followed after Link, chasing him down the hallway in his search until Link found himself in a large room facing North Clocktown, a stained glass window allowed light from the sun to seep in.

The view looked out over the mountains that gradually descended into the ocean and there in the distance, just over the waters, was the mysterious island. He had almost forgotten about it. Link gazed in wonder, like he had in the forest, giving the robbers time to corner him.

"Link, look out!" Navi called. Link turned to realize that he was outnumbered. The men had blocked his only way out, and now, with his back to the window, Link reached for his sword. To his side one of the thugs charged, taking to sword with him. Once again the Black Sword tried to leap from Link's hands, but he was able to direct it to his advantage.

"Hey!" Navi screamed in her high pitched voice as another brute charged at him. The big man's shoulder was down, aimed at Link's gut. Though Navi had tried her best, Link didn't have enough time to react. The blow from the brute drove him into the window, the force shattered the glass and sent Link flying into North Clocktown with Navi fluttering after him.

Thankful and bitter of the tree that broke his fall, Link slowly got to his knees. The guard of North Clocktown watching him worriedly.

"That was some fall there." He said, not leaving his post. "Are you okay?" Link grunted.

"Yeah." He sighed as he pulled his sword from the tree. "I have to go back, Amy's still in there." He said to Navi.

"What's going on?" The guard nosed in, but he remained where he stood.

"A girl, the brutes in Clock Tower have taken her."

"Oh, not a damsel in distress. I tried to warn another girl of the dangers around this rotten town, and outside the walls, but she was intent on getting to the ocean, and I couldn't stop her because she passed all the requirements to leave the city. Mighty rough one that little girl." Link paused as he was leaving after hearing the guard's story. He rigidly turned.

"Um, did this girl have a yellow fairy following her, and an incredibly annoying disposition?"

"Yeah, I saw a yellow fairy, but her disposition reminded me of my daughter… irate." He paused and laughed as he reminisced about the event. "Poor thing was real lost, tried to come out this way; she was headed to the ocean, so I pointed her in the right direction." Link groaned, tired of all this running around.

"Thanks uh… sir." He said as he turned towards West Clocktown.

"Don't worry! You'll find your little lady!" The Guard called after him.

"She's not my-" Link started, but he just shook his head and continued on his way.

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**A/n: Yeah, that's it, I'm going to start writing the next chapter asap. Please R&R!**


	20. More Complications

**A/n: Sorry it took so long, but last month seemed to fly by. Well, there are a lot of plot twists in this chapter, lol, hence the title, but it should all be resolved in the next chapter which is going to be very fun to write, and with spring break coming up in a few weeks, there should be more time to write it! Thank you all for reviewing and please continue to do so, your input is highly valued (and we feel all warm and fuzzy inside to know this is your fav. Zelda story Lutheon, you get a smiley : ) ! )**

**And well, jella-courage, I really don't know where Aura's character came from…lol… **

**Here's the next chapter, we hope its up to par! (I wanted to use the word par… heh…heh…)

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**Chapter 20: More Complications**

Naomi sat rigidly in her chair. The Zora's scampered about, preparing the fish feast, as Lulu and her children entered their dining hall. Naomi quickly rose to receive her greeting from them and inquire as to Mikau's health. It was discovered that Lucian had actually left his lab to come see the boy well, and Mikau Jr. certainly did look healthy again.

"Dear, where have you been?" Lulu exclaimed as she took Naomi in her arms. Aura and Damien were greatly impressed with her popularity among the Zoras. Arian, however, dumbly stirred his food.

The Zora and Naomi continued to catch-up on their current status of being.

"My that is a beautiful dress, Naomi." Lulu said noting the Zoran garb attained by the fishy friends of Hyrule. Naomi laughed uncomfortably.

"Thank you." She blushed and the two sat down to commence eating. Gangor, in the meantime and much to Arian's relief, slipped away from the table to bring them all more refreshments. During this period in time, a most irate Zoran pulled him aside.

"Is that Naomi?" He asked in harsh whisper, looking precariously at their dinner table. Gangor smiled gaily.

"Sure is." he replied without a thought.

"Have you told the pirates yet?" Gangor wrinkled his nose.

"No, of course not. It doesn't sound like Naomi wants to be a part of them anymore." The irate Zora grew even angrier.

"Do you have any idea what this means?" He almost shouted, but he kept quiet so as not to disturb the dining party. Gangor looked at him stupidly and shook his head, making his fellow Zora sigh heavily. "If we don't turn her in to the pirates it could mean another war." Gangor shook his head.

"Turn her in? Like what, a prisoner? Naomi should not be treated like that." He retorted.

"Well we have no choice."

"We?" Gangor asked nervously as he noticed eyes peering at him from a darkened cave. The irate Zora signaled to his friends and in one swift motion they ran from the darkness, grabbing Gangor to stash him in the pantry.

"Sorry friend, but we can't risk another war like that breaking out. We must think of _our_ people first." He whispered to Gangor as they knocked him out and locked the door.

* * *

Link had just walked out the entrance of West Clocktown. Immediately, he ran over to the fountains and checked if Amy had somehow drowned in one of them. Shrugging, he continued down the stone pathway to the beach. After dodging the sand things (Link could never really remember the names to those stupid things, and neither could Navi), he looked up to the walls guarding Great Bay and was greeted with a surprise.

"Hey look! It's Link!" Tatl said, as cheerful as ever. Her words fell on deaf ears though, for Amy was fast asleep, hanging by her belt, and her pants, on one of the iron spikes protruding from the top of the wall.

"Wow! What great guiding skills!" Navi said in an attempt to be sarcastic.

"Hey! For your information, we didn't have a horse like _some people_ always do. Amy tried to climb the wall, slipped, and got caught!" Tatl huffed. "And since mister _prince charming_ here took so long to come, she fell asleep-- hanging on a fence! How can you fall asleep when you have a wedgie the size of a Goron's butt, I ask you?" Link, on the other hand, found this very amusing.

"She… she's stuck!" He said, holding back the urge to laugh insanely.

Therefore, Amy awoke to the sound of loud shouts. She was startled, remembering what position she was in, and then noticed Link rolling on the ground. Thinking he was fighting for his life with some unseen attacker, Amy struggled to get down off of the wall.

"Hold on!" She cried. With a loud snap, her belt broke along with part of her undergarments and pants and she fell to the ground clumsily. Scrambling over to Link, Amy grasped his shoulders.

"Link! Link! What's happening? What's wrong?" she cried, trying to drive away the invisible attacker. She continued to look in vain for the assailant, until she realized that Link was, in fact, not yelling at all.

He was actually laughing, very loudly, and crying from laughing so hard. Shocked, Amy scooted back uncomfortably, and then irritated, she violently shoved him away.

"Yeah, yeah." She said, trying to hide her embarrassment as she pulled her pants together as best she could. "You can get up now you pompous hero." She growled. Link wiped his eyes.

"Of all the things I would've expected… you, being stuck, has got to be at the very bottom of the list."

"Why?" Amy snarled, her blood began to boil from his unintentional insults. "What else did you think happened?" Link looked off into the ocean and breathed deeply.

"I don't know. Maybe that you were eaten by a dadongo, drowned in the fountain, were kidnapped by brutes." Link was looking at the fence she was caught on and shaking his head.

"Yeah, those expectations make me seem so much better. Who would drown in a fountain?" Amy snapped. Link glanced at her over his shoulder.

"Hey, I'm here to help you. I probably wouldn't have come back at all if it hadn't been for Naomi. You aren't even important to the group, I mean, you're looking for your stone, which we know Sakon has. Why don't you just leave and look for him?" Amy was still and fell completely silent, her blood continued to boil in her veins.

Link's odd mean streak went on, and even Navi noticed the strangeness in him, she floated over to Tatl flying above Amy's fuming head.

"Are you too weak to handle a little thief? This group doesn't need any more weaknesses, which seems to be all that you contribute." Link stopped, shook his head and then donned his normal personality. Amy's red eyes became the intense color of blood as her anger shrouded her logical sense.

"Well," Link said in a dazed manner. "I guess we should get going back now--" He began to pull out his ocarina when he suddenly felt the full weight of Amy on his back and her legs wrap around his waist. "-OW!" He screamed as he fell into the wall with Amy clawing at his face.

"How dare you! I've never heard anything so rude in my life! No one has ever frustrated me as much as you!" She screamed. Link tried to pull her hands from him.

"Ow, I- I'm sorry. Ah! No! Not the ears!" Amy didn't hear his pleas and continued to tweak his pointed ears as Link tried to pound Amy into the side of the wall. Instead he stumbled, and he found himself wrestling Amy off of him as they rolled down a shallow incline into a small pond. The fairies were completely silent as they watched, and when the splash resounded, Navi had one thing to say.

"Wow…" She and Tatl then quickly flew to see if they were okay.

Amy was the first to surface. Her eyes were now dulled, and if one squinted, steam could be seen rising from her head. Her fury was certainly cooled and she now pulled herself out of the pond. Link stood, the water being only waist deep on him. He rubbed his ears, to make sure Amy hadn't torn them off, and then slowly trudged to the grass.

"Right." He sighed, his lower-left eye lid began to twitch. "Let's not mention this to anyone." Amy nodded as she rung out her hair.

"Yeah… good plan…" Link began digging through his pockets, a worried expression fell across his face. Without a word he turned and dove back into the water, Amy watched curiously as his fragmented form began to dig through the dirt at the bottom of the little pool.

"What is he doing?" Navi asked as she and Tatl floated over Amy. She shrugged as Link came back up holding what appeared to be a large blob of dirt.

"Link? What is that thing?" Tatl squeaked as Navi shuddered.

"I think that's his ocarina…" She whispered as Link tried to play it. Amy grimaced when he put his mouth to it and tried to blow out a tune, but all the instrument did was spray water and bubble out remnants of the pond's floor. Link rinsed out his mouth and silently stared in disbelief.

"Um… so do you have to sing the song of soaring now?" Amy asked with a pathetic laugh. Link, his mouth wide agape, turned to gaze at Amy with an empty expression.

"I'm guessing that's a no…" Tatl answered for him after a long silence.

"Well what do we do now?!" Navi squeaked as she began flying back and forth.

"The only other way to get over that wall is with a horse… Hey Link! Call Epona!" Tatl cried with excitement. Link, his eye beginning to twitch again, held up his unplayable ocarina, and the fairies shuddered.

"Well, unless you know someone who can sing Epona's song, we're stuck here." Navi sighed. Link turned to Amy.

"Have you _heard _me sing?" Link shook his head. "Exactly…" A despairing silence fell upon them until the a rare occasion occurred in which Tatl contrived an ingenious idea.

"Romani! She knows how to call Epona!" She squeaked, Link seemed to perk up.

"Yes, and she's just around the corner on Milk Road!" Link muttered, Navi twirled around his head.

"Let's just hope her song will be able to reach Hyrule." A nodded agreement settled their plans as they stood to begin walking to Romani Ranch.

During said journey to find their singer, three boats pulled up to dock outside of Zora Hall, where Naomi, Aura, Arian, and Damien were feasting with their Zoran company. The long wooden vessels bearing the pirate's motif lurched as their passengers departed.

"What have you called us here for?" Aveil, the pirate leader, growled at their Zoran greeters. The blue man shuddered.

"The girl, she is here." He said pitifully. Aveil seemed pleased.

"Ah, thank-you." She laughed. "Will you call her to us?"

"I-I don't think she wants to go with you…" He whimpered.

"What?" The pirates hissed. Aveil continued to speak. "Then she must be forced to come with us. One does not simply abandon her pirate heritage, she must be punished for this." A scornful agreement swept through her pirate companions. "Now tell us, where is she?"

* * *

Arian stirred his-- whatever it was that was sitting on his plate. He grimaced as he saw a fish eye float to the top. Naomi seemed to be used to this cuisine, as did Damien, but he and Aura shared a dislike of its scent and appearance. The fishy stench was overpowering of every other odor present, but no one else seemed to mind.

So Arian tried to take his mind from the smell that seemed to be burning in his nose, and found himself listening to the curious patter of feet with his acute ears. He sat alert in his chair, searching the room for the scurrying Zoras, but none were to be seen.

"Excuse me." He stood from the table, intrigued by the sound. Naomi stopped her light conversation with Lulu to watch as he left the table, but it seemed normal enough and conversation resumed.

Arian followed the sound into a hallway and continued hunting it up to the balcony above the dining room. It was a very strange sound indeed. Neither the sound of Zoran feet nor the dropping of water which was common in this place.

The sound stopped and he searched the room. It was then that he noticed two yellow eyes peering at him from above. Without any time to react, he felt himself shoved from the balcony onto the dining table below, gathering the attention of the diners.

"Arian!" Naomi squeaked, quickly coming to his aide as ropes fell from the ceiling, pirates swinging down around them. Aura and Damien gasped as they pulled out their weapons in a quick reflex, battling against the new enemy.

"What? Aveil?" Naomi gasped as she made eye contact with the pirate leader.

"That's right Naomi… So sorry for crashing your party, but we found it terribly rude of you to leave us so… abruptly." She jammed her sword into the table by Naomi. "What is that you are wearing? Are you too ashamed of your pirate heritage?" Aveil asked in a growl as she ripped the front of Naomi's dress. She shrieked as she brought her arms up to keep it from falling.

"Naomi!" Aura shouted in response to her shriek.

"Get off of her!" Arian grabbed Aveil's hands, not wishing to harm a lady. Unfortunately that was his first mistake as Aveil twisted from his grip and knocked him to the floor.

"You are coming with us." She said to Naomi.

"No." With one arm holding up her dress, she pulled out her staff, ordering it to extend to full length. Though she was far clumsier at wielding the staff with just one hand, she was able to knock Aveil back, giving her time to run to Arian.

"Quick, lets get out of here." She said as she tried to get him up. He stumbled, dizzy from being knocked in the head.

"No you don't!" Aveil shouted as two other pirates wrapped ropes around Naomi, another took her staff. "Take her and her new toy to the boat." She said referring to the staff. Naomi struggled against the ropes but then found it all in vain when the two pirates picked her up and dragged her into their waiting boats. Aura and Damien continued fighting against two foes who suddenly disappeared in one great leap just after Naomi was taken away.

"You take care of Arian, I'll go after Naomi." Damien ordered, running toward the exit, but he was too late. By the time he reached the dock, they had already turned around and where far out to sea, heading back to their fortress.

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**A/n: so was it good? Please R&R!**


	21. The Pirate Fortress

**A/n: Hey Look! It's Extra Long! 10 whole pages with a sweet surprise at the end! Thank you all for reading it this far, We really hope you like this chapter. It's spring break! So we had plenty of time to write (except for this stupid driving course) but now we both have our licenses! Heh! **

**This is long, but action filled… lol! Have fun reading it!

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**Chapter 21: The Pirate Fortress**

Though Damien's intentions were to save Naomi, he found that swimming out to sea would not be very wise and returned inside, feeling rather sheepish. He found Arian pacing the floors, which was making Aura quite nervous, and she worriedly glanced at him as she helped the Zoras clean up the pirates' mess. Damien bent down to help her pick up a displaced board.

"Why would they just take her like that?" Arian sighed as he grabbed his head. Lulu, having adorned a sorrowful expression, seemed the only one willing to answer as she wistfully gazed about the room.

"I suppose they were angry that she had been gone for so long… Not many pirates travel away from home…"

"They were the pirates?!" Aura exclaimed just before she dropped her end of the heavy board onto her foot. Damien released a sharp laugh at her foolishness before continuing his thought.

"What in Hyrule would the pirates want with her?" He mused, still smiling at Aura as she rubbed her aching toes.

"She _is _a pirate." Lulu replied, a stunned look replaced her sorrowful expression. She was unaware that Naomi had not informed them of her origin, and confused as to why Damien laughed at her reply.

"A pirate? She bears the mark of a Nynian, and that peace-loving race could _never_ become pirates."

"A Nynian? Isn't that one of the races the weird old man told us about?" Aura turned to Arian. He shrugged in a flustered manner.

"I suppose so… but how would you know she was a Nynian? What mark does she bear and why don't we know about it?"

"Relax 'fang'." Damien responded mockingly. "She has a blue birthmark on her back, I saw it when her clothes were torn."

"You were watching as her clothes were torn?" Aura asked in a scolding tone. Arian was also rather disturbed by the thought, and crossed his arms as he stared at Damien. The guard slyly looked from one to the other and shrugged.

"Okay, I was looking, but that's not what's important here." He barked; lucky for him, Lulu had already moved on and was mulling over the news Damien had brought. She shook her head as one crucial point stood out in her mind.

"But the pirates only accept people of _their_ kind. Naomi would not have been welcome in the pirate fortress unless she was their kin,.." Lulu laughed as she shrugged her blue shoulders, "or if she were greatly beneficial to them." Damien nodded at the thought.

"She could easily be beneficial to them, if they ever needed to enter the water temple, or reach the depths of the ocean." Arian uncrossed his arms as his stern expression fell into confusion. Lulu, also ignorant of the Nynian race, cocked her head to the side.

"What do you mean?" Aura asked as she relinquished her efforts to move the heavy board. Damien ran his fingers through his long, dark locks.

"A Nynian's song can tame the most ferocious of beasts, they can swim better than Zora's, and are known for their technological abilities. They're the one's who built that temple out there." He replied matter-of-factly. Arian nodded his head, impressed.

"Well I suppose that would have certainly come in handy for spying on us." Lulu growled. "How could they _use_ such a sweet girl like that." Her cold expression matched the chilling breeze blowing from the bay, signifying the coming night.

The thoughtful silence that followed her remark enabled Arian to hear a light whimper coming from the Zoran pantry. He cocked his head to the side and quickly followed the sound, and the suddenness of his departure left the rest to exchange awkward glances prior to running after him.

"What is it now Arian? Are the pirates back?" Damien asked in a tone like that of a man calling to his loyal pet. Arian passed him a stern glare as he continued on his way to find the noise.

"It sounds like there's someone in here." Arian replied as he pressed his ear to a door. He jolted back as an angry shout reverberated through the door.

"It's because there _is _someone in here!" Gangor yelled out, rubbing his head where a large welt was forming.

"Oh, my." Lulu whispered as she quickly came to unlock the door, freeing the poor Zora.

"It's Kristoff, he's calling the pirates!" Gangor grumbled as he fell out of the closet.

"Yeah, we figured that out when they came and took Naomi." Damien muttered, rubbing his temples tiresomely. Gangor's black eyes widened.

"Oh no! My poor Naomi!" He wept.

"She doesn't belong to _anyone_." Arian growled. An awkward silence followed. Damien let loose a groan.

"Come on. Somebody needs to save her." Damien said, trying to pacify the two men's frustrations. "The longer we argue, the closer Naomi is to danger."

"Why?" Lulu said, eyes round. "The pirates would never harm one of their own, would they?"

"It isn't the _Pirates_ I'm worried about." Damien replied. "If the dark one finds out that _Naomi_ is the only remaining Nynian, then well… Exterminating her would make his mission a lot easier."

"I'll go!!" Both Gangor and Arian yelled. Looking from one to the other, Lulu shook her head.

"Both of you go." Aura mediated. "Me and Damien will remain here to wait for Link and Amy."

"What _is_ taking them so long?" Damien queried. None could have guessed that Amy and Link were now sitting down to dinner at Romani Ranch, with a young red-headed farm girl staring longingly into Link's eyes.

As Link had grown, so had little Romani. She was beautiful, like her older sister Cremia, but her beauty was vivacious while her sister's was more elegant and refined. The wild and rugged Amy stared down at her tattered clothes, suddenly wondering what hard day had done to her appearance. She ran her hand through her ponytail to pull out a clod of dirt, and shuddered.

"Um, Romani?" She asked meekly.

"Mmhmm?" Came the wistful reply.

"Do you have a bath I could use after dinner?" Link passed her a suspicious glance, as though he had forgotten that Amy was in fact, a girl. Romani nodded, her eyes not leaving Link, who seemed completely oblivious to Romani's gaze.

Cremia, who was currently occupied with making a pie for dessert, smiled lightly at Amy and nodded.

"Of course we do, it's upstairs to the left, and you can borrow one of my dresses." She looked Amy over. "Although, it might not fit you… I'm rather short…" she added. Amy shrugged as Navi decided to encroach on their conversation.

"Anything's better than ripped pants!"

"Thanks, Navi." Amy said sarcastically as she glanced at the love struck Romani. Rolling her eyes in hopes that she would never _ever_ fall that low, she departed from the table to clean herself. However, Romani did indeed break her loving stare to watch Amy pull her pants together so she could walk up the stairs with common decency.

"What a strange girl…" Romani said, some envy creeping into her thoughts. "She _is_ a girl, right?" Link, not noticing her scathing tone, swallowed another spoonful of noodles and answered peacefully.

"Sometimes." Cremia chuckled in a friendly manner as Romani turned her full attention back to Link.

"You've grown so much, grasshopper… I mean I hardly recognized you."

"Grasshopper?-- O yeah, I helped you didn't I?" Romani nodded wistfully as Link suddenly became aware of her penetrating gaze. "Um… yeah…." He said awkwardly as he quickly shoved another spoonful of noodles in his mouth.

"And this is the guy that all the girls fall for?" Tatl muttered to Navi.

"Fourth one this week." Navi replied jokingly and the two fairies giggled. Link coughed as he choked on a noodle, but then continued with his business.

"So um… we came here because… we… Um…" Link tried to say, but the directness of her stare was making him nervous. Tatl flew to his large pointed ear.

"Song (cough) song Link (cough)!"

"Song!" He exclaimed, quickly looking away. "We need you to sing that song that calls my horse… My ocarina is… out of order, and we need Epona to get… get…" Link had opened his eyes and found himself trapped in the awkward stare again.

He quickly turned to Cremia. "Hey is that pie done?" He asked desperately.

"No, no," Cremia laughed. "There is to be no dessert until Amy is done with her bath… which reminds me, I should find that dress for her."

"I-I'll do it!" He cried as he leapt from the table, not realizing what Cremia had actually said. He was reaching for any excuse to leave the table. Cremia raised one red eyebrow.

"Um… no… I don't think you know where my dresses are-- but you can chop some firewood if you want…" Link sighed in relief as he opened the door to freedom, only to find Romani holding his axe.

"Here you go." She said in an overly friendly manner. Link sighed as he took the axe and began working.

Meanwhile, Amy finished her bath, and was in a much better mood as she slipped into her borrowed dress. For the first time in a long while, she felt slightly feminine. However, as she glanced in the mirror, she noticed her wide shoulders jutting from the dress' sleeves, and her muscular, long legs revealed by the shortness of the dress. She didn't like how it clung to her figure, which to her seemed more manly than Romani's or Cremia's.

"I shouldn't have looked." Amy muttered in a laughing manner. She was disappointed though, for she no longer felt the grace and elegance of being a woman. "Dang it. Life isn't fair!" She opened the door and walked down the wooden stairs, greeted by Cremia's warm smile.

"That dress worked out on you better than I thought it would." She said, giving Amy a once-over.

"Really?" Amy groaned, pinching some of the fabric away from her side. Cremia nodded enthusiastically.

"Yes. Granted, you are a good four inches taller than me; but the length of the dress still works with your figure." She studied Amy for a second longer. "Oh, what I would do to be that tall…" She said, sighing.

"Trust me, it isn't all what it's cracked up to be." Amy muttered, walking to the door. "Say, where is Mr. Grasshopper?" She mocked the name Romani had been calling Link since they had arrived.

"Oh, he's outside chopping wood for me. I'm pretty sure Romani was driving him crazy." She giggled. "Too bad she followed him out there. By the way, would you tell them that my pie is ready?"

"Yeah sure." Amy said, irritated by the fact that Romani craved so much attention. She opened the door and looked out, snorting at the sight of Link rigorously chopping wood and Romani staring at him. The two fairies were also with them, and their light allowed the two of them to see in the dark.

"Hey Red and Grasshopper! The pie's ready!" She yelled. Link looked up, squinting in the dark. He didn't realize it was Amy, only seeing Cremia's bright dress in the dark.

"Alright Cremia, just give me a second." He replied, wiping the sweat from his brow.

"Huh? Cremia?" Amy muttered, confused. She didn't dwell on it for long, and she closed the door not wanting any more of the cool air to blow into the house.

Link looked up at Romani in extreme discomfort. She smiled flirtatiously and batted her eyelashes, her face illuminated by Navi and Tatl's light.

"I'll call Epona tomorrow. It's too late for you to go galloping off alone."

"Alone?" Tatl questioned. Romani averted her eyes, blushing.

"Silly me! I forgot about your two fairies!" Link narrowed his eyes.

"Uh, and Amy." He said, scratching his head.

"Why _is _she with you anyways? She seems more than capable of fending for herself." Romani's voice took on an envious tone once more.

"Well, she does need my help. And she's um, helping me." Link felt strange defending her.

"With what?"

"Eh… it's complicated." Link muttered, turning to go back into the house.

As he came in, he found Cremia happily eating a slice of pie.

"Amy ate her pie and went to bed. She seemed pretty tired." Romani rolled her eyes.

"I guess she _needed _her beauty sleep."

"Yeah…" Tatl concurred, not noticing the insult. Link simply sighed as he realized the long night that lay ahead.

* * *

As the moon struck the water's of Great Bay a great howl was unleashed from the deep followed by a Zoran shriek. Arian had lost track of the day. So just underneath the pirate fortress, a drenched wolf pulled himself on a small piece of land that jutted from the great pirate walls. Gangor popped out of the water beside him with a mortified, yet curious gaze.

"Whu-What are you?"

"Sorry…" Arian said as he coughed the remainder of water out of his lungs. "This happens at night…" There was a short silence between the two as Gangor looked him over, and suddenly began laughing.

"And I thought _I_ didn't stand a chance with Naomi!" Arian did not find his comment in the least bit amusing. He slumped over in an irritated manner and bared his teeth, but the Zora continued to laugh.

"Although I guess you have it lucky… At least you're human for the day, I'm blue all the time!"

"Okay, enough of this." Arian growled. "Naomi needs us right now."

"Right." Gangor concurred gaily as he dove into the water, leaving Arian on the little stretch of land.

"Right…" Arian growled. "Where on earth is that stupid Zora going?" He queried as he turned to climb the wall of the fortress, digging his claws into the rock to pull him up. It didn't take him too long to reach the top, but as he straddled the edge a loud boom resounded. Though he was unsure as to what event was actually taking place, when he heard the Zoran shriek and saw the little dot growing bigger as it headed towards him, he soon realized what had happened.

"Um… Ah!" His eyes got big as he was knocked from the top. They both screamed loudly as they fell back to where they had started. "Crap." Arian grumbled as he rubbed his head. "Alright, this time we'll do this _together_!" Gangor stood, feeling rather sheepish.

"Okay… we'll come my way, it's faster." Arian nodded as he let the Zora pull him into the water and through a little opening at the base of the rock wall guarding the fortress. Upon surfacing, Gangor explained.

"Naomi told me about that secret entrance, she found it long time ago." They swam to the outlet overlooking the large basin within the walls. Only one boat was on watch now, for the Zoran-Pirate war had passed and now it seemed that the Zora's were willing to be more cooperative. Arian glanced at Gangor in disbelief.

"You got caught by one boat?" He laughed. Gangor blushed and tried to defend himself.

"I was under water, and this fish attacked me! I had to surface, and she caught me…"

"Okay…" Arian shook his head, "I hope this works…" As the boat came near to them, he jumped in front of the Pirate guard. He bared his teeth and howled. The guard pointed her bladed staff at him but was frozen in fear and surprise, for such a beastly creature was unknown to her. Gangor, realizing that Arian's plan wasn't working, jumped on the back and shoved the guard off the boat.

"Thanks." Arian crossed his arms, examining their success. "Man this boat is slow…" Gangor nodded as Arian began fidgeting with the motor. The pirate guard was reaching for the boat, but was forced away as the motor roared to life, sending Gangor and Arian flying to the other side.

"I had no idea these things could go so fast!" Gangor laughed as Arian slowed it down to keep from crashing into the platform leading to the inner fortress.

"Yeah," He replied absent-mindedly, his thoughts were on Naomi's safety and nothing else. "Quick! Who knows how long it will take us to find her… and who knows what's happening to her right now."

"Well, if she's anywhere, I'm almost positive it's going to be Aveil's room. That's where they store all of their secret possessions." Arian nodded as they entered the inner fortress and ducked behind two large barrels. Arian peeked over the side to see what they were up against.

"There are guards everywhere." Arian sighed. "You'd think with the pathetic protection at the entrance there'd be less here."

"No, they like to guard these inner chambers." Gangor said as he settled himself. "So what do we do now?"

"First show me where Aveil's door is." Gangor peered over the edge.

"I'm assuming its that door across the bridge at the top of the watch tower." Arian thought for a minute, his cleverness shining for a brief moment.

"I'm going to make a run for the tower and try to get into the door, but there are way too many guards for me to keep from being seen, so if… when they see me I want you to create a distraction so they don't continue chasing after me." Arian said. Gangor wrinkled his nose.

"How?"

"There's a torch over there, set something on fire, that normally works."

"Why can't you be the distraction?"

"You aren't as fast as I am."

"Fine… well, make sure you tell Naomi how I helped." Gangor sighed. "Go on the count of three… one… two…" Arian took off before he finished, running by the first three guards without notice, and making it to the ladder. However, by the time he made it, the attention of nearly all the guards was suddenly drawn to him as a Pirate blew her whistle. While normally one would have stopped, for fear of being savagely beaten by the Pirates, Arian turned on them all. He grabbed their spears and threw them a great distance, beating them away from him.

Gangor watched.

"Maybe he _should_ have been the distraction." He said when he noticed that all of the guards were advancing on him, but Arian was already scaling the ladder. Reaching the top, he turned and threw the ladder down, along with many Pirates who were following after him. Two others clamped onto his arms from behind.

"Now Gangor!" He yelled. Gangor looked from left to right, trying to figure out what he was to do. "Make a distraction!" Arian continued struggling with the two guards on his back when the distraction suddenly came. The two barrels they had been sitting behind were suddenly blazing, and when the alcohol inside met the fire, a loud explosion caused the two guards to loosen their grip on Arian. He quickly knocked them over the edge and continued running to the door.

Gangor, suddenly finding himself outnumbered, turned to run.

"It's the Zoras! They have betrayed us!" Cried one of the Pirates. Their bitter rivalry with the Zoras, and the chaos from the explosion caused them to forget about Arian, possibly mistaking him for Gangor out of hatred of his race.

This gave Arian plenty of time to enter the top door only to find himself in a storage room. He sighed heavily, but then he heard something that gave him some hope, it was Aveil's voice, and he knew that he could smell Naomi's sweet scent. He swiftly ran to a small window with bars across it, finding that it overlooked the Pirate leader's room. Several guards began running inside to inform their leader of the chaos.

"The Zoras are attacking." They gasped. 'Gangor must be doing a very fine job', Arian thought, for apparently he was making the chaos of many Zoras. Aveil grabbed her weapon and ran to the battle front. Arian watched where they left, and after only a moment, he left that room and hopped down to the door that lead into Aveil's chamber. No one had remained inside the room, giving Arian time enough to think.

There was a large aquarium on the side of the room, home to many of the dangerous fish that were apparently in the Pirate waters. Rugs were scattered about the chamber, barely covering the metal grates that seemed to make up the floor. The large throne like couch sat at the top of a two stairs, weapons were displayed on the walls behind it. Arian sniffed the air, he knew that he could smell Naomi, but she was no where in sight.

"Naomi?" He called out hesitantly. A meek voice answered him.

"Arian?" His heart skipped at the sound of her voice.

"Where are you?"

"I'm under you. They're keeping me under the grates." Arian looked down and began pulling on the metal squares. It did easily lift up and he could barely see Naomi in the shadows.

"Throw me down a rope." Naomi ordered with a giddy laugh. Joyous tears filled her eyes. Arian quickly looked around but found that there was no rope in the room, and he could hear the Pirates coming back. Either Gangor had escaped already or they had caught him, and taken care of him.

"Just grab my hand." Arian reached down.

"I'll have to jump." Naomi replied worriedly.

"Go ahead, just hurry." Naomi sighed and shook her head, but she did as she was told. Arian grunted when he caught Naomi's weight from her great leap.

"How deep is that thing?"

"At least seven feet." Naomi sighed as Arian pulled her out. He sat her on the edge of the hole and stared admiringly into her eyes. She laughed.

"So you are the beast." His eyes widened, he had nearly forgotten, being caught up in the moment of trying to save her.

"I um… you aren't?" Naomi shook her head, she knew what he was trying to say. Their moment was interrupted by sounds of many Pirates outside. They were noisily climbing the stairs to Aveil's room.

Naomi quickly stood, realizing that she was still in her half-ripped clothes she grabbed one of Aveil's uniforms.

"Turn around." She ordered. Arian blushed and quickly turned, closing his eyes.

"They're coming right now!" He said nervously, he could hear their footsteps just outside the door.

"I know, I'm already done." Naomi replied sternly, Arian turned back around to find her fully dressed and pilfering the wall of weapons. "Ah, here's my staff…" She grinned as she put it on her belt. "But I think I'd prefer to fight them as a pirate." She continued to grab other small trinkets and hung them around her belt. Arian laughed, remembering what Damien had said about her, but Naomi didn't hear him. She ran to his side, holding two long swords used by the Pirate's special forces.

The entering Pirates were caught completely off guard by Naomi and Arian, standing there fully armed.

"Naomi?" Aveil donned her persuasive tone. "Why would you turn on your own kind?" She shook her head disappointedly. "Why are you so traitorous now? You know we only think of your own good." Naomi's hand began to shake. As much as she hated them for locking her away, this was her family. Lilun had trained her how to use the swords she now held, Allexa had taught her how to drive the boats, and Aveil had tried desperately to teach her how to be a Pirate, but now it all seemed in vain.

Arian saw the strain Aveil was placing on her. He placed a comforting hand on Naomi's shoulder and turned angrily toward Aveil.

"She isn't you're kind and you know it." He growled. Aveil was taken back.

"Who are you… and what are you?" She changed the subject.

"I am a beast named Arian." He replied sharply. "And she is of an underwater race, not a Pirate." Naomi shrank back.

"What? Arian?" She shook her head. "I was raised here."

"I know, but Damien, he saw the markings on your back. He knows them." Arian became gentle as he stroked her face. "You are not a Pirate, you never were."

"And you never could be." Aveil shot back. "True, we did find you, and due to our mercy we took you under our wing, and raised you in hopes you would be a Pirate, but you seem to be nothing but a traitor." Naomi shook her head.

"You're right… I'm not a Pirate and I never was… but I was trained as one and I lived as one. I am not ashamed of it, but I refuse to continue living where I don't belong." Naomi replied calmly. The Pirates were speechless. "So now that we have come to an agreement, you will let us go."

"Once a Pirate, always a Pirate." Aveil said bitterly.

"And now you contradict yourself." Naomi retorted, her confidence was building. Arian smiled as he gazed from her to the frustrated Pirates.

"So after all we have done for you, you're going to just walk away?" Aveil asked bitingly. Naomi shrugged.

"I guess so." Came the sassy reply. Aveil clenched her teeth.

"Such ungrateful disrespect should not go unpunished." She hissed as she drew her double swords. "It's time for you both to be severely punished." She signaled for her fellow Pirates to attack as well. Arian and Naomi braced for the rush of pirate guards. The clanging of swords between Aveil and Naomi sounded as Arian dodged several more spear attacks just before he threw the guards from him.

"You have never done so well in training Naomi." Aveil said mockingly as their swords clashed, causing many blinding flashes of light.

"I've never had to win before." Naomi replied in between the scraping of metal. She continued fighting with Aveil, taking down one of the guards whenever they came too close. Arian, once again without a weapon, had a more difficult task of disarming one before he could take them out.

Nearly all of the guards were lying upon the floor, too wearied to awake and continue the battle. Arian stepped to the side as he watched Naomi maintain her fight with Aveil, the greatest warrior of the Pirate fortress.

"You know you are no match for me, why do you even try?" She asked in an attempt to dishearten Naomi, but there was something that kept her fighting strong.

"I do not have to match you." Naomi answered as she put distance between her and Aveil by flipping over the barrels sitting between the main room and the door. The rolling kegs knocked Aveil to the floor, crushing her legs "Come on Arian." She laughed as she began to leave. Arian quickly ran to her side, his speed surprised Aveil. "I am going to leave now that my _punishment_ is over."

"Who would raise a Pirate to run away?" Aveil screamed as Naomi opened the door to leave. The former pirate turned with a mischievous grin on her face.

"Who would call me a Pirate? Goodbye, Aveil." Arian grinned and mockingly waved a goodbye. Aveil screamed again, throwing her sword as they quickly shut the door, it penetrated the wood but did little other than that. She quickly followed after them after dragging herself out from under the barrels, but by the time she made it out the door, they had disappeared, and all of the other pirates were busy cleaning up after Gangor's little mess.

What Aveil didn't see was that Arian and Naomi were perched above her, watching as she stormed back into her chamber. Naomi giggled as she glanced at Arian.

"Where did you get that thing?" He asked pointing to the golden grappling hook Naomi was pulling from the board above them. After closing the door she had used it to hookshot them to the top of Aveil's building.

"I found it a long time ago and hid it in that dungeon you saved me from… I was in there a lot…" She sighed. "It was a punishment for… not being a 'good' Pirate." she rolled her eyes.

"Well, I'm glad you're not a good pirate… I mean '_good' _pirate." Naomi laughed at his awkwardness. Arian looked down with blushed cheeks. "We should be heading out now…" He turned to look back into her eyes to find himself in a passionate kiss.

"Thank you for saving me." Naomi blushed as she pulled away and began heading to the exit. Arian was frozen, but a sensation of euphoria spread throughout him. A goofy grin grew across his face as he turned to follow Naomi.

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**A/n: Please R&R! I bet you'll never guess what happens next: )**


	22. Who Goes Where?

**A/n: Hey, we're really glad this chapter is Finally posted. The internet was down for a while, but now it's back and we can post this chapter. And! in a few weeks, we are finishing up school! YAY! Although, we're highly doubting that this story will be finished by summer of this year, however we are almost to a very important climax. Hurray! Well, here's the story, hope you like.

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**Chapter 22: Who Goes Where? **

Gangor, Naomi's Zoran hero, waited outside. He had been caught, rather quickly actually, and the Pirates had thrown him over the edge again. They felt rather foolish for assuming he was more than one, and when he 'explained' that he was just a lost, clumsy Zora, they tried to keep their dignity by shooting him out of a cannon after scolding him for coming to their fortress and causing such a mess.

Now he rested his head on his folded arms while he was leaning against the small peninsula jutting from the rock wall protecting the fortress.

"Where are they?" He asked himself worriedly. "I shouldn't have left so early… Arian probably needs my help. Did my distraction really even work?" He sighed and shook his head. "Well I haven't seen him so far."

"Gangor?" He heard Naomi's sweet voice from above. The Zora jumped from his resting place and swam far enough out to see her.

"Naomi!" He cried. "I'm so glad to see you!" She laughed as she jumped down, diving into the water beside him, sighing as she surfaced.

"Arian should be behind me." She turned. "He's probably taking his time, making sure no one is following me." Her dreamy voice showed no sign of gratitude towards little Gangor.

"Yeah…" He replied with a saddened expression. Wistful Naomi didn't seem to notice anything at the moment. "Hey, you should probably go on back to Zora Hall and show Lulu that you're all right. She was really worried about you. I'll help Arian get back."

"Oh, of course." She nodded, her dreamy state bordered on air-headedness. Naomi held her breath and began swimming quickly back to the Hall as Gangor looked back up to see Arian peek his head over the side. He jumped down to the peninsula and sighed deeply, the goofy grin was still on his face.

"Well hello there, Mr. Hero." Gangor said mockingly. Arian didn't seem to notice his biting mood.

"Where's Naomi?"

"She's on her way back to Zora Hall, to tell them all about how you _single handedly _saved her." Gangor splashed him with water. Arian wiped his face.

"Yeah…?" He replied in a confused manner. Gangor growled.

"So, I'm going to head back now. I figured if you can save her all by yourself, then you can get back all by yourself."

"I--wait!" Arian exclaimed as Gangor dove into the water and disappeared into the distance. When he was out of sight, Arian shrank back. He sighed heavily as he slid into the water and began his slow swim to the beach, to walk towards Zora Hall.

* * *

A loud squawking noise echoed throughout Romani Ranch. Though the farm animals and residents were used to this _remarkably_ early wake-up call, the two visitors were not.

"Wh- _holy crap!_" Amy cried out hoarsely. The loud, incessant crowing originated from a small cuckoo sitting in her lap. It looked up at her with bright eyes and squawked again, just to make sure she was awake.

"What's wrong?! Oh, that's just Bigooru. He's a nice little cuckoo, but quite erm… vocal." Cremia's calm voice came from the direction of the bright, sunshine-filled windows. Amy let out a loud yawn as she pulled on her borrowed dress. After splashing cold water on her face, Amy was able to wake up and she began to think properly.

"Hey… If I slept in here with you and Romani, where did Link sleep?" She asked, wiping the remaining slumber from her eyes. Cremia stopped in the middle of folding up Amy's cot.

"Where did that boy sleep?" She repeated to herself, a look of perplexity crossed her face. Romani's loud giggles interrupted the two girl's thoughts. Shoving her head out of the window, Amy saw the love-struck red-head running from the barn.

"I have a pretty good idea." Amy muttered, rolling her ruby red eyes. Cremia giggled as her sister had, but her laugh was much more pleasant to Amy. While she headed down the stairs, she nearly collided with Romani. The younger girl hurried up to her room jubilantly, determined to make herself the epitome of beauty. Unfortunately, the young man she wished to impress wouldn't notice the difference.

Amy opened the small wooden door to the barn as the stank odor of farm animals attacked her senses. She peered inside, unable to see in the dim light, but due to Navi and Tatl's fairy shine she soon found the Hylian. Amy covered her mouth to smother a snicker when she discovered Link fast asleep in a pile of damp hay that was currently being devoured by a robust cow. The cow had now lost interest in the hay and began nibbling on the Hylian's green hat.

"Stupid cow! Stop messing with my room!" Navi began to pull helplessly on the indifferent cow's ear. Her high-pitched squeak made Link stir.

"Whu… Huh? Amy?" He rubbed his eyes as he sat up, "A dress? I must still be asleep." He muttered, rolling over, unaware of the cow breathing down his neck. Amy let out a snort and burst out laughing.

"Nevermind…" He groaned, swatting the eager cow away. Amy left quickly and without another word (she was laughing too hard to speak), thus leaving Link in a state of confusion.

Cremia was putting a plate of eggs on the table as Amy came in, her laughter turning her face red. The sweet sister smiled softly, and Amy took a deep breath.

"What Romani sees in that boy, I'll never know." Amy choked out, wiping a tear from her eye. At that exact moment, said girl sauntered down the stairs. Her cheeks and lips were a rosy hue, and her hair was silky smooth, brushed to the last strand. She wore her best dress and nicest shoes as she headed out to finish her farm chores. Despite Romani's attempts to provoke jealousy, Amy could not be envious; her prevailing sense of pity prevented it. Romani flashed a cheeky smile at Amy, who stared dumbly until the girl was out of site.

After the door shut, there was a long silence. Then, Cremia and Amy burst into laughter. They laughed so hard that their stomachs hurt.

"Maybe- I should… take her into town more… often…" Cremia said between gasps. "It would do her some good to see a few guys her age." Amy cackled.

"That explains a _lot_." Cremia nodded.

"I assure you that Romani is normally much more… pleasant. It is just, I suppose she's getting to that age, and I've always kept her here at the farm to protect the cows. I just realized, the only man she's seen in nearly seven years, besides Link is that old Cuckoo man who lives near us." Cremia shook her head as she sat down across from Amy. "No wonder she's been completely bedazzled by Link." Amy concurred.

"She should snap out of this as soon as she sees what a _real _man is like." As Amy was busy enunciating the word 'real', the door creaked open and Link trounced in pulling hay from his hair. He silently looked from Cremia to Amy, who was rigidly staring back at him, worried that he had heard their conversation. Without a word he sat down at the table, and the room remained awkwardly silent as Cremia slipped away to the kitchen.

"So… I see you woke up…" Amy said to break the silence. Tatl flew over her head while Navi continued circling Link.

"Yes…" Link grumbled, he glanced at Amy, wrinkling his nose as he scrutinized her new form the dress gave her. She almost looked elegant, very unlike herself, but she still sat slightly hunched over and she still had the same inquisitive scowl when she saw that Link was staring at her.

"What?" She mumbled. Link looked back into the distance as he thought of something that could annoy her.

"So, what _is_ your idea of a 'real' man?" Link asked smartly. Amy's eyes widened as she swallowed nervously; he had heard.

"Umm… I've never really thought about it…" Amy's voice became higher as she became more nervous. Link grinned mischievously and said nothing more as Cremia brought out their breakfast.

"So, I will talk my sister into calling your horse right after her chores." She said as she sat down across from them. Amy nodded.

"Yes, we do need to be getting out, I'm sure the other part of our party is worried about us." She said, thinking of Naomi and Aura. "I do wonder what they are up to…" Tatl snorted for no apparent reason which resulted in a short silence and a shift in the conversation.

"Well Link, Amy." Cremia said with a smile. "I think Romani and I are going to Clocktown today, will we see you two there?" Link shrugged.

"I don't know, right now we're headed to the Bay."

"Well what in Termina are you doing there?" Link stared dumbly at Amy who also couldn't think of an answer.

"We're fishing." Tatl answered for them.

"Fishing?"

"Fishing." Navi reinforced. Link and Amy nodded their heads.

"And it is very important to get there before afternoon, while the fish are still biting."

"Why of course… and you have to fish today?" Cremia raised an eyebrow in skeptical confusion.

"Yes, today is the only day the Zoras need us." Amy answered, although she wasn't exactly sure why the Zoras would _need_ them to fish.

"Right…" Cremia finished to the relief of Amy. "Well, I suppose I can go ahead and get Romani right on that… what was that song again?"

"Epona's song." Navi answered.

"Okay…" Cremia said absently as she took off her apron. "Well, you two go pack up your things and meet us at the barn."

Grateful that these were the last words to be said at the breakfast table, Amy quickly scurried up the stairs to keep Link from talking to her again. Amy wrapped her torn clothes up in a bundle, hoping that one day she would have time to repair them, and then headed down to the barn. Link had followed Cremia, since he didn't have anything to pack, and as Amy grew near, she head Romani's sweet voice singing an enchanting melody. It echoed about the field and Link tensed as he prayed that it would reach Epona in Hyrule.

Romani finished the song and they all waited intently. Several minutes passed and Link sighed when he still didn't see his faithful steed.

"Maybe she couldn't hear, Link." Navi said sadly. Link and Amy both sighed, but their despair was broken by the joyous whinny followed by the sound of hoof beats.

"Epona!" Navi squeaked, sure enough the horse had made it into Termina. "That horse always amazes me…"

"Tell me about it, she can always find her way to you, no matter where you are… but if you're in a temple she can't come to you, or a house, or over water, or…"

"Enough." Link silenced Tatl as he turned to rub his horse's nose. Epona shook her head as she looked at Amy. The horse had a sense about her, coming right to her and shoving her nose in her face.

"Hello." Amy laughed as she pushed her away. "I wouldn't have expected your horse to be so friendly, Link, but luckily you haven't corrupted it." Link grinned and shook his head.

"Come on, we should go." He said as he mounted Epona, holding his hand out to Amy. "The others are probably worried."

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The morning light hit the bay as Naomi wrapped her arms around dear Lulu. She had been waiting for her return on the rock deck that stretched from Zora Hall's back door into the open ocean.

"I see you are wearing your pirate garb again." Lulu said with a nervous laugh.

"Yes, but I am afraid I wear it to spite them, for I am no longer a pirate." Naomi smiled brightly. Aura and Damien greeted her as well.

"Finally you're back, we were just about to go out after you." Aura said as she shook her head. "We weren't sure if Arian and Gangor could do it alone."

"Well they did fine." Naomi said dreamily as she bit her lip. Aura stared at her skeptically and whispered to Damien.

"She seems a little too happy…"

"Yeah…" Damien replied with a grin. He couldn't think of any smart reply to add and simply remained silent. As Naomi cheerfully embraced Aura and Damien, Gangor surfaced behind her, walking straight by them into Zora Hall.

"Where's Arian?" Naomi called after him. The angry Zora was already out of sight, but his voice growled back through the darkness.

"He's taking a _walk_!" The sharp reply confused Naomi and she placed her fingers to her lips.

"Oh my…" She said innocently. "I wonder why he sounds so angry, and why is Arian taking a walk at this hour?" Naomi then glanced around. "And where are Link and Amy, haven't they returned?" Aura shook her head.

"We have no idea what they could be doing." Aura shrugged, Damien rolled his eyes.

"They're wasting time, that's what they're doing." He growled. "If Link hadn't had the sword I would have already left."

"If you _could_ leave, but you needed Naomi for that."

"Leave where?" Lulu asked, the group hadn't noticed how loosely they were speaking until the Zoran maiden spoke up. Damien clenched his teeth as Naomi thought of how to word their honest response.

"Well, they need to go back home and they don't know the way." Naomi replied quickly. "I was going to show them how to reach their destiny through the ocean."

Lulu nodded thoughtfully, releasing an, "Oh… Yes, well, I had best go get you some breakfast. It is almost morning." Lulu awkwardly left. Damien rolled his eyes at their stupidity and carelessness as he reverted back to the topic of Link and Amy.

"Well, while that wolf takes his walk, maybe we should start heading to where Link and Amy may have gone." He said pragmatically, crossing his arms and impatiently awaiting their reply. Aura shrugged her shoulders, feeling rather indifferent of the matter. Naomi sighed and crossed her arms as well.

"If we leave here now it is highly likely that we will all be on a wild goose chase. I bet as soon as we leave here, Link and Amy will show up at the owl statue and then wonder where we have gone and that will be a-whole-nother headache in and of itself." She reasoned. Damien began to think it through and slowly uncrossed his arms.

"Yeah… I suppose so… But what do we do until they show up?"

"If they don't show up by this afternoon, I say we return to Clocktown, but until then, let's just eat breakfast and rest for the journeys ahead." Naomi finished sternly and headed into Zora Hall. Aura smiled.

"I like her plan." She added as she glanced at Damien and followed Naomi. Damien slowly trudged behind them, but he was rather happy to hear of food.

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**A/n: Please R&R! We will be SOOOO appreciative!**


	23. Plots to Thwart and Plots Thwarted

**A/n: Whoo hoo, schools out and I just had my last exam a couple of days ago, Amy E. however had her last exam on Wednesday… curse her. O well, we were still able to get together to write this chapter, although I didn't get to go over it as well as I would have liked, if you do catch any errors please inform us. I'll probably go through and edit the whole thing when we finish, but for some reason it's disheartening to try editing it now. Go figure? Anyway, thank you all for reviewing again, they really inspire us to continue writing. Thanks. We hope you like this chapter and promise A LOT of action in the next one.

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**Chapter 23: Plans to Thwart and Plans Thwarted**

Naomi stirred her breakfast at the table with Aura and Damien. The three were awaiting the rest of their coincidental group to rejoin them, and Naomi still seemed to be in a dreamlike state from her previous rescue. Damien and Aura gulped down their food without notice, barely able to thank Lulu for the meal as she left to take care of her seven children.

Naomi sighed heavily as she rested her chin on her hand, only one thing remained on her mind.

"So you and Link know?" Naomi asked suddenly, looking up from her food. The question came randomly to its listeners, but that was the way with Naomi; if something were on her mind, she would speak it without any warning. Damien swallowed his last spoonful of Zoran foods.

"Huh?" He said as he coughed from inhaling it. Naomi adjusted in her seat, continuing to stir her food.

"You called Arian a wolf earlier, so you guys know?" She insisted. Aura looked from one to another as she sipped on her drink.

"Know what?" She questioned them. Damien suddenly remembered the chat he had with Link and Arian on his first night with them. He looked to Aura, the inquisitive look in her eyes worried him as he glanced at her swords and realized the seriousness of Arian's predicament.

"Um… that… Arian is a real beast… yeah…" Damien stumbled at first, trying to find a way to make Naomi agree and keep Aura from realizing the truth, but then he settled back into his natural charm. "Naomi should know." He winked at the girl in a suggestive way. Naomi cocked her head to the side and stared at him curiously.

"I don't think we're talking about--" Her words were cut off by the joyous squeal of a fairy.

"Naomi, Aura, Damien!" Cried Tatl as she swirled around them much to Damien's relief. "Thank heavens we're finally back! And we even brought that other guy." Sure enough Link, Amy, and Arian came walking in looking wearied and relieved. Naomi quickly stood from her chair and ran to Arian's arms.

"Why in Termina did you decide to take a walk without telling us?" Arian looked confused as he received her embrace, but his eyes drifted to Gangor peering at them from the kitchen. Their gazes met and Gangor shuddered as he realized Arian would tell Naomi the story of how he had left her 'savior' to fend for himself, but Arian donned a stern expression and pulled Naomi from him.

"Yeah, I figured I needed the fresh air."

Link and Amy looked at the two and began speculating as to what they missed, even Aura and Damien were rather surprised by Naomi's display of affection, but Tatl and Navi were more interested in what she was wearing.

"Why are you dressed like a Gerudo?" Navi asked, Tatl shoved her away from Naomi.

"Gerry doe? You mean like a Pirate… I don't think there are any Gerry doe's around here." Naomi chuckled.

"Yes, I am dressed like a Pirate, which also seems to be similar to Hyrule's Gerudo's, which I found out when I was there." Naomi rolled her eyes, remembering her brush with the Hylian Zora's. "And well, just so everyone is clear, I was a Pirate but I decided to exile myself from that society…" Naomi smiled at Amy and Link.

"And what are _you _wearing?" Aura laughed as she brushed her hand across the skirt that flowed about Amy's legs. Amy blushed lightly as she remembered how feminine her attire was, and how uncharacteristic.

"My clothes became ruined in our journey and I had to borrow someone's…" Amy worded carefully, hoping that she and Link could keep that story a complete secret. It seemed to work, but the next question had Link on his toes.

"What took you so long?" Damien asked rather angrily. Link rubbed his head.

"We had to get my horse." He answered plainly.

"Why didn't you just play that song?" Link warped his face to an uncomfortable expression which remained there as he pulled out his ocarina.

"Oh my goodness…" Naomi said with mouth agape as she took the musical instrument from his hands to examine the damage done to it. She chipped off some of the dirt.

"How did this happen?" Aura exclaimed as she too stared at the pathetic piece of junk once called the Ocarina of Time.

"It uh… fell…" Link replied rigidly, he also didn't want to explain what had happened and he could see that Amy was quickly becoming nervous. Naomi came unintentionally to his rescue as she finished her examination of the broken tool.

"Obviously the dirt is clogging the holes in which the air is released that create those strangely magical sounds. I don't know if the magic was affected, but if we remove this dirt, then it should play alright again." She said to herself, hearing herself speak helped her to organize her thoughts. "Now how will we force this dirt out without breaking it…" She turned to Link. "Is there any way to take this thing apart?" Link's eyes widened as he shook his head back and forth. Arian took the Ocarina from Naomi's hands.

"Why not take it underwater and blow the dirt out?" He suggested as he examined it closely, holding it above his head to catch the light.

"But it might crack as you're forcing the dirt out." Naomi replied, crossing her arms as she began thinking of another solution. Arian smirked and shook his head.

"You know when dirt gets wet, it becomes mud… and it should come out easy, it will just take a while." Naomi stopped, her eyes widened and she covered her face to hide her embarrassment.

"Of course…" She laughed. "I feel like and idiot now." Arian smiled and rubbed her head.

"Don't worry, you would have thought of that eventually." The good feelings warmed the room but added to the confusion of the others in the group.

"Since when did you two get so close?" Amy asked as she crossed her arms. Naomi blushed and immediately changed the subject.

"That's not important right now, first lets get some water to soak this in while we're on our journey back to Hyrule." Naomi placed one of her long, thin fingers to her lip as she began looking about the room. "We just need to find something to hold it in with all the water and such so we can travel while it soaks." Link nodded and dug through his pack, pulling out a large glass bottle.

"Like this?" He asked, the group reverted their attention back to him. The very large bottle glistened in the dim light.

"Were you lugging that big thing around with you the whole time?" Amy asked in amazement.

"Yes…" Link's eyes followed her as an awkward silence ensued. Naomi snapped out of her surprised state and snatched the bottle from him, filling it with some fresh water within the Zoran Hall, placing the ocarina in it, and sealing it with the stopper. She handed it back to Link who in turn replaced it into its pouch strung across his chest.

"How does that fit?! Without anyone noticing it or breaking it? And isn't it heavy? What else do you have in there?" Aura began bombarding Link with questions as she tapped on his strap of pouches. Navi flew in her face to back her off.

"It's a Kokiri secret! That's what it is!" The fairy screamed. Amy nodded.

"Well, I suppose we can go as soon as I change out of these clothes. Naomi, you still have my stuff in your bag." The little pirate girl nodded.

"Come on, we'll get ready and meet you guys at the back dock, I'm sure I can get one of the Zora's to give us a boat so you guys don't have to swim." She said as she pulled Aura and Amy away. Arian concurred in a mumble.

"Yeah, I've done enough of that today…"

"What?" Naomi asked, Arian's eyes widened.

"Nothing." He replied. She shrugged and quickly left as the three boys turned to the dock as they were told. Link took one last glance back at Amy, trying to imprint the vision of her in a dress before she burned it. He was rather sad to see it go, but at the same time, glad he would no longer be distracted by it.

The three boys stood on the dock, staring out at the sea and noticing the strange fish shaped temple in the distance. It was then that Damien grew the mischievous grin that constantly adorned his face.

"So Arian…" He started, the boy didn't catch on to his mocking tone. "What _is_ with you and Naomi?" Arian smiled dreamily.

"She kissed me." He replied. Link's eyes widened as he turned to his companion.

"So… _the one,_ eh?" Link grinned. Arian nodded wistfully. Damien laughed.

"Yeah, I was beginning to wonder when beauty and the beast would get together." Arian smiled again despite Damien's attempt to make him feel uncomfortable. So the guard gave up his attempts to make a joke and instead sat in quiet with them as they awaited the girls to join them and begin their journey.

The group was completely unaware of the eyes that remained upon them. Devoren had already heard of Naomi's rescue at the pirate fortress and was now brewing a plan to increase his army. Similarly to the incidental heroes, the intentional villains stood on a dock looking out towards the temple. This particular dock was surrounded by boats handmade by the Pirates. Devoren himself stood with Aveil.

"So you say they intentionally disgraced the Pirate name and fortress?" He said with false sympathy, Aveil nodded crossly as she strongly gripped her spear, making her knuckles turn white.

"To think we once called her a Pirate." She hissed. Devoren nodded, the sly grin born on his face.

"Do not fear, we shall take care of them, so long as you hold up your end of the bargain." Aveil glared at him harshly.

"I gave you a Pirate's word of honor, there is no word better." Devoren let out a harsh laugh as he held his hands up.

"Yes, very well then. I shall have my men send you her body to dispose of as you please." Aveil cocked her head to the side.

"Are you sure you have not visited these shores before, you look so familiar." She said. Devoren laughed uncomfortably.

"Oh no, I just have one of those faces." He bid the satisfied Pirate goodbye as he walked to Vereor's side, whispering into his black-eyed and pale companions ear.

"So the first one on our agenda is the littlest girl." He laughed. Vereor nodded.

"The one with the Zoran clothing." He looked to General Gaft. "The one that you could not defeat." General Gaft shrank back in shame.

"I was outnumbered." He muttered to himself. Devoren ignored him.

"I will give you a chance to redeem yourself." He said with arms crossed. "She will be lured inside that temple, we'll wait until we can get her alone. Wait for her inside there, and I want you to personally take care of her."

"Oh, yes, master," Gaft fell to one knee. "I will not do you wrong this time." Devoren nodded doubtfully.

"Now go." He dismissed him. Gaft quickly jumped to his feet and began on his way. "Oh and Gaft, try not to mess around this time." Gaft nodded and took off in a boat, heading into a mystical fog to hide his arrival at the temple.

"Master, I mean you no disrespect, but I am curious as to how we will lure the girl into the temple when our sources clearly heard they were heading to the portal today." Devoren laughed again.

"The portal is closed." He explained to the confused Vereor. "I know my brother, he is here and thanks to one most unhappy couple at Clocktown who they made a promise to, the portal will remained closed by the one who despises un-kept promises, buying us some time to dispose of them one by one."

"And then we will have the sword."

"Yes, and once the sword is destroyed, there will be nothing holding back my powers." Devoren sneered as he looked toward Zora Hall.

* * *

Naomi swam to the bottom of the glistening pool below a beautiful waterfall, a rope tied around her waist. She felt the wall, trying to find that hole. The crevice was finally rediscovered, she quickly stuck her fingers inside, reaching for Hyrule. She closed her eyes, waiting for the rush she had felt before, but there was nothing. Reopening her eyes she found herself in the same pool, nothing had changed. Frantically Naomi looked for a different gap, wondering if she had found the wrong one, but there was no other crevice and there was certainly no gravitational force trying to pull her through as there had been before.

She surfaced, swimming back to her friends who held the rope that hung around her small torso.

"The portal, it isn't there anymore!" She exclaimed as she hoped to the side of the rock shore, wringing out her hair.

"Are you sure you have the right pool?" Arian asked, looking around. Naomi nodded.

"I'm positive. I went through there twice and it worked fine then… Maybe the rope is throwing it off?"

"Don't waste your time little ones." Called a strangely familiar voice from above them. The group looked to the overhanging ridges that led to the Beaver's homes to see the old man sitting on the edge, his cane sitting across his legs.

"Old man?" Link called, realizing that he still didn't know his name. "I thought we were going to eat dinner, why did you suddenly leave us."

"I went to eat dinner, I felt like fish, and there's no better fish than the ones these beavers can catch." He replied mysteriously. Link sighed.

"Next time old man, please tell us when you are going to leave." The old man nodded.

"Fair enough." He said in his friendly tone. Naomi shielded her eyes from the on-coming sun as she stared up at him.

"Why are we wasting are time? Do you know what we're doing?" She asked, heading straight to business. The old man nodded.

"I know very well what you're doing, you're wasting time when you should be helping people."

"Why should we be helping people?" Damien asked heatedly. "We have a rather urgent quest to complete."

"No quest is more important than that of the welfare of others."

"We thank you for your lesson in morality, but there will be no others if we do not complete _this _quest."

"And believe me, you will never complete that quest if you don't know what it really is." The old man replied, Damien was silenced. "Your quest is for others and you made a promise. This portal will not open until your promise is fulfilled." He said sternly as he shook his head. "Now I'm craving some lunch so I bid you farewell."

"No wait!" Link exclaimed as the sun made its way over the ridge, blinding the group temporarily. Naomi quickly ran to the side as her sight returned, looking back up from the shady area.

"He's gone!" She called to her friends. Link shook his head and quickly headed up to the top, hookshotting from tree to tree until he reached the top. He looked all around and confirmed Naomi's claim that the old man was in fact gone, however his climbing had not been in vain. A small folded paper, weighted down by a stone, sat where the old man had once been. Link quickly retrieved it as his companions continued to debate below him.

"Where do you think he went to eat this time?" Aura asked as she rubbed her eyes. Link shook his head and sighed as he re-folded the paper, shoved it in his pack, and jumped back down, using amazing acrobatics to land safely.

"You just _love _doing that, don't you?" Amy asked with her arms crossed. Link shrugged.

"Well, I guess we're headed back to Zora Hall to get supplies to go back to Clocktown and help Kafei and Anju, just like _I_ wanted." Naomi said with a mocking tone. Damien sneered at her. So the group headed back from their vain attempt to leave Termina to the home of their caring friends the Zoras.

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**A/n: Please R&R!**


	24. The Split Up

**A/n: This chapter took a little longer than I thought, but on the brightside, we've got the remainder of the story roughly sketched out, so this will not be another one of those unfinished stories, because we're way too stubborn for that.**

**Any way, here is the transition chapter between three consecutive, action-packed chapters. Hope it's not too boring (we did add some witty and funny things in : )

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**

**Chapter 24: Splitting Up**

Amy gratefully sipped on a cup of fresh juice supplied by the Zoras, while Naomi thanked Lulu for taking them back in, explaining that they had received a message concerning the fulfillment of a promise to someone in Clocktown--a true story without much explanation. Upon her return to the table and the Zora's return to their daily routines, the matters at hand began their discussion.

"So now that we've made yet another useless trip what is our next course of action?" Aura said with a bitter frustration. She took a huge bite out of her piece of bread and slumped back in her chair. Damien watched her calmly and shook his head.

"Well we obviously have to take up on that promise, as Naomi said." He relied. Naomi nodded sassily and sat pridefully in her chair. A sudden burp arose from amid the table and a sheepish looking fairy peeked out from a hole in the loaf of bread.

"Excuse me…" Navi said and then resumed eating a pathway through the loaf. Link rolled his eyes as he pulled out the paper from the previous encounter with the old man, and once more tried to read its inscriptions. Amy was the first to notice his behavior.

"What is that?" She exclaimed, drawing everyone's attention to Link. He looked up from the paper to see the curious eyes of his companions.

"It's something we found by the old man's perch!" Tatl said as she pulled herself from the punch bowl and back to Link's side. Amy shook her head.

"Link, you have to tell us these things… we're in a freaking group for the Giant's sake." She said exasperatedly, Link arched a brow.

"A group wasn't my idea." He muttered, Amy did all she could to ignore his comment.

"Well, what's on it anyway?" She asked with clenched fists. Link turned it around and showed it to them.

"I can't quite tell, all I know is that in each corner of the paper, it specifies something different." Link replied. Damien snatched it from his hands as Navi added her input.

"You can tell because it's color coded." She squeaked, swirling around Damien's head. Tatl quickly followed to have a good look.

"It's like it's the four giants' temples or something." She added. Damien rubbed his chin.

"It's exactly like the four temples. This is a map, or directions rather, on how to get four herbs, and according to the inscriptions at the top, these herbs can be put together to make a potion that reverses evil spells." Damien scratched his head. "Who was that old man? Had you guys seen him before?" Aura wrinkled her nose.

"Yes, he's only randomly disappeared on us _twice_." She replied in her frustrated tone. Damien nodded suspiciously.

"And he never gave you a name?" Aura shook her head as Arian cut in.

"He knows quite a bit about the ancient history of both Hyrule and Termina, along with the history of this great evil being." He added as he held his glass in front of him, swirling it before another drink. Damien rubbed his chin again while translating the markings on the old man's clue.

"He seems to be on our side though." Naomi said with a meek smile. "I don't think he's harmful in _any _way, just a bit mysterious." Damien nodded, acknowledging her comment.

"This does tell us exactly where to find these herbs, and reversing an evil spell is what we need to do for that Anju girl." He muttered. "Just be on the lookout. In this day and age, nothing will have an honest appearance. For all we know, that old man is luring us into some sort of trap."

"That's the way to be paranoid." Aura said mockingly. Damien merely sneered at her as he shook his head, Aura smiled. Amy nodded.

"Okay then, Link. You go and get one of the roots, and we'll meet you back at Clocktown." She ordered. Link looked surprised.

"So you aren't going to demand to come with me?" He asked, Amy smiled sardonically.

"No, I'm not. We will go to Clocktown and tell Anju that you are getting the roots she needs. Besides, I suppose one person doing it really would make it go faster." Link nodded, Amy was strangely becoming more tolerable to him. However, as she continued to stare at him, he became unnerved while sipping his drink.

"What?" He asked nervously.

"When are you going to go? We need to get this done quickly don't we?" Link nodded again.

"Okay, which one should I get first?" He asked Damien. Tatl answered for him in a sassy reply.

"Well we _are _right by the ocean, why don't you get _that_ one first." Damien nodded as he began translating the ancient text.

"It says the herb needed is a type of seaweed growing in the masked one's pool, whatever that means." He said, wrinkling his nose. Link rolled his eyes.

"It means it's at the very end of the temple." He replied. "But since I defeated the masked one there should be a portal at the beginning of the temple that will take me straight to his 'pool'."

"Great, now go on and get that one, we can wait for you here and then when you head out to get the next one, we can be traveling back to Clocktown with the first root." Link nodded and stood. He had every intention of entering the temple then and there, until he remembered something from his childhood--with the help of a little fairy of course.

"Link, didn't some big turtle give you a lift last time?" The reminder chimed. Link flinched as the memories came rushing back to him.

"That's right. I guess I'll have to ask Lulu to wake it up again."

Naomi responded to his thought quickly.

"Okay, I'll go ask her. Oh, and then I can go and get that ocarina cleaned up, so just set it on the table so you don't take it with you." She cheerfully got out of her chair and ran off to find her friend.

"Naomi's getting to be a little too happy, she's still sensible, but a little too happy..." Damien said when she was out of earshot. Amy and Aura nodded in agreement.

"You guys have _got_ to fill me in on what happened." Amy's eyes widened as she shook her head. Arian smiled as he once more thought over the previous events. The conversation stopped as Aura elbowed Damien after seeing Naomi come running back. The girl frowned as she looked at Link.

"I'm sorry Link, but Lulu is too busy right now. She's in the middle of schooling her children, and all of the other Zora's are either fishing or doing other chores. However, Gangor said that he can take you to the temple in a few hours or so." Naomi smiled. Link nodded.

"Okay, then I can go and get a different temple's herb in the meantime. I'll just play the Song of--" Link stopped and sheepishly handed Naomi the jar of brown, muddy liquid concealing the temporarily indisposed instrument and then thought once more about his course of action. "I'll take Epona to the Deku Temple and--" Tatl cut him off.

"You might not want to do that, it's been poisoned again and unless you still have that deku mask, there's no way inside other than the Song of Soaring." She informed him. Link rubbed his face.

"What about the mountain temple, do you think I could get up there to Snowhead?"

"Yes, actually, they just recently built some bridges and made that place a tourist attraction." There was a group nod of approval.

"Okay then, I'll take the tour and get the herb, maybe they have it on display, and well, they still owe me a favor for saving their home." Damien was reading the map again.

"I doubt it, this says here that the herb grows on the very top of Snowhead, and it's white, so  
it'll blend in with the snow."

"This day just keeps getting better." Link shook his head. "O well, I'll see you all in about three hours or so." Naomi looked at the jar.

"And I should have this thing cleaned out by then… hopefully…" She suddenly began muttering things to herself. "Maybe I can use a reed… or a small fish…" Link nodded and headed to the dock, Tatl and Navi floating above his head. He looked up, realizing how much longer this journey was going to seem with two know-it-alls bickering about which one of them is more right.

"Say, Tatl." He said, gathering the fairy's attention. "I have a very important mission for you."

"Ooh! What is it Link?" Tatl flew right in front of his eyes. Link grinned.

"I don't know if I can trust those kids alone, so I'm thinking if they get into any trouble, they'll need someone familiar with the area to help them out. Do you think you can handle it?" He asked in a demeaning tone. Tatl shook.

"Of course I can handle it Link, you've only known me for like what, seven years now? Sheesh." Tatl quickly flew over to Amy's head and Link turned to wave goodbye as he and Navi departed. The blue fairy giggled after they were out of sight.

"I can't believe she fell for it. That was a great idea Link, getting rid of some unnecessary baggage." Link nodded.

"Yup, one down, one to go."

"WHAT?!"

"Nothing."

"You know, I liked you better when you were silent."

"Wish I could say the same for you." Link had a smile on his face. He knew that his new friends were rubbing off on him, but he was content with that. Life was certainly more amusing.

Now his friends were left cleaning up the dishes, with a yellow fairy that seemed slightly more annoying than she had been before, hovering over their shoulders and correcting their 'mistakes' as she saw fit. It was only Naomi who escaped the recently protective fairy as she swam into the Great Bay and anchored herself to the bottom of the water with some seaweed.

Rubbing the outside of the muddy instrument, she slowly saw its original form and color and now began to work her way through the interior of it with some delicate tools, blowing through it occasionally to release a cloud of mud. As one cloud finally blurred her vision, Naomi was forced to close her eyes. She swam back and waved her arm in front of her--a reflect to being blinded by dirt. In an instant she found it safe to open her eyes. The mud cloud had quickly left her area as if a sudden current had swept it away, yet Naomi had felt nothing of a sort. She stared curiously at her hand, but shook it off and resumed her work.

The instrument was nearly back to its original condition just as some creature in the water began creeping closer to the oblivious Naomi. She was so focused on her duty that the skeleton of a fish peering at her with hollow eyes had escaped her. So it sat in secrecy, waiting for its moment to strike. While most of these creatures were highly unintelligent, swimming towards anything in motion, this one had received particular orders from its original creator; an authority it could not ignore.

It twitched, a higher power giving it intellect as it configured its course of action. Quick flicks of the bony tail sent it flying towards Naomi. The speed of the creature left the girl without time to react. Bubbles rose from her mouth as she gasped in shock when the fish shot through her hands, taking the ocarina in its mouth. Naomi quickly chased after it, but her moment of shock had given it a head start. Despite her uncanny talent for swimming, the creature was able to out-swim her as it hurled itself into the underwater entrance of the Bay Temple, Naomi following behind.

Her friends were completely unaware of her rash chase and of the fact that she continued her search for the stolen ocarina deeper into the temple. Many hours passed and Amy began to worry.

"Hey guys." She began, approaching the group after a long bath. A towel was draped about her shoulders as she dried her hair. Damien was busy sharpening his sword and Arian was hard at work on making a small dagger out of a very hard bone, given to him by the Zoras. Aura had also cleaned herself up but now was busying herself with a game she made up for Tatl. Amy's weak hello caught the attention of the two boys, but Aura was amid her last session with Tatl.

"Ready? Pull!" Tatl catapulted herself out of a small contraption made from a rubber band and several spoons while Aura readied to catch the flying fairy, holding a soft glove with which to cushion the landing. Diving over a small chair, Aura caught the little fairy and rolled to safety. Tatl flew happily from the soft mitt.

"Haha! Good catch." She squeaked, they both suddenly turned to the stunned Amy. "Man that was fun… yeah…" Amy shook her head and began her comment.

"So does anyone else think that it shouldn't take this long to clean an Ocarina?" The group stopped to think and in one silent moment of worried thoughts, they all stood and quickly walked to the docks--where they had last seen the girl go.

"Naomi?" Arian called out. No response followed. Aura found herself looking into the water, a strange little creature had caught her attention. Where its head was assumed to be, there was a particularly large mass moving about in a sporadic manner. The water distorted its figure but Aura could tell that the little thing was swimming towards them.

Aura gasped as it surfaced, calling the attention of the others. All were staring over the edge at a little skeleton fish, holding the ocarina in its mouth. It spit it ashore and with a squeaking, drowned laugh, it dove back into the water and swam away. Everyone was speechless and most motionless save for Arian who bent down to retrieve the instrument. He stared silently at the clean ocarina.

"What does this mean?" Aura asked with a sickened worry. "A skeleton fish just spit the ocarina at us, but where's Naomi?!" The rushing sound of water replied and a small island settled in front of the docks began to rise. The four took one step back as their astonishment increased. The large head of a turtle surfaced, its mouth was clamped to the bony fin of a skeleton fish. Throwing it in the air, the turtle opened its mouth and snapped it closed as the fish fell to its tongue. The sound of chewing followed.

"Just as I thought… it tastes a little evil." The giant turtle said at last. He had an elderly, warm voice. Turning to face the group on the docks, he smiled as best as any turtle could.

"I saw your friend, just as I see everything in this sea. That little fish lured her into the water temple you see in the distance." The turtle looked at the little, yellow fairy. "Well hello there Tatl, how have you been?" The fairy laughed and explained her current fair state. The rest of the group, however, was not feeling so fair. Arian stared despairingly at the temple.

"Is she safe?" He quickly asked, his stomach churned as paranoid thoughts haunted him. The great turtle forsook his pleasantries and gained a stern face, ready to discuss matters of importance.

"For the time being it would seem so, but there is a strange creature waiting for her in the depths of that temple, drawing her nearer with trickery and deceit."

The great turtle's loud entrance had attracted the attention of many Zoras, and as the group absorbed the information recently given, their blue friends scurried to the docks, Lulu being the first. She immediately recognized the reptile and realized the gravity of the situation before the perils were told to her, for this turtle had met with her once before.

Nearly ten years ago she had lost her voice-- a very important asset to her and her old band the Indigo-gos. Link, with the help of her children who were then mere tadpoles, had brought her voice back, her first song incidentally awaking the creature. She was unsure as to why he awoke, or why it was necessary for him to escort Link to the distant temple of the bay, but Lulu knew that it had something to do with the perils of the time, and that it had everything to do with the survival of Termina.

Now that the turtle was once more awake, she knew that it could only mean more perils were upon them. Her eyes searched the group in a worried but curious behavior.

"Where is Naomi?" She asked the girl's friends, Aura was quick to fill her in on Naomi's endangerment. Gangor too overhead her explanation, and as the other Zoras fell into a roar of whispers, he approached the group.

"How are we going to save her this time?" He asked Arian, disregarding their previous, silent quarrel. Arian too allowed his fear for Naomi to outweigh his dislike of Gangor.

"We'll have to follow her, and we'll just wing it again. We've done it once before, and will do it again." He decided. Gangor nodded as the two turned to the turtle as the great reptile expressed his opinion on such a valiant decision.

"Such young courageous souls." He began, eyeing each one. "Perhaps something is motivating such heroism, but that is for another time. For now, I wish you both luck. If only the times would allow me to escort you there, but I believe that the current situation calls for me to examine these newcomers more closely in my all-seeing slumber. And to you others who are not saving the girl, I recommend that you pursue your plans with great quickness, for others are after your necessities in hopes of thwarting you. May the Giants give you much swiftness to reach your treasures before your enemies." Upon this last note, the great turtle sank back into the deep, drifting off into another omniscient dream beneath the bay floor.

Before his own departure, Arian turned to his friends.

"What did he mean by 'our enemies' getting them first?" He asked nervously. Damien clenched his fists.

"It means that this great evil has figured out that we have to help Anju and Kafei before the portals will reopen, and are headed to take the plants so we can't get them. That would trap us in Termina." Amy bit her lip at Damien's explanation. She grabbed the ocarina from Arian and immediately began to take charge.

"Gangor, take Arian to the water temple and save Naomi, now, we'll take care of the roots and meet you back here." Arian dumbly nodded, grabbing hold of Gangor's back leg as the Zora jumped into the sea and began heading towards the temple. Once the two were out of sight, Amy quickly turned back into Zora Hall.

"What are you doing?" Damien asked as he and Aura followed her. Amy kept her quick pace while explaining her plan.

"I'm going to call Epona, ride to the mountains, deliver this Ocarina to Link and tell him to _hurry up_." Her voice became rough and strained upon her last words. Damien and Aura glanced at each other.

"Who is Epona?" Damien questioned. Tatl chimed in.

"She's Link's horse." He nodded, remembering Link had mentioned such a creature.

"How are you going to call Epona when she's already at the mountains with Link?" Aura asked in her logical and worried tone.

"She comes after hearing a particular tune. I should be able to pick it out, I was there when he called her the first time."

"And how are you going to play it? On Link's Ocarina?" Amy shook her head.

"I have no idea how to play this thing, but I saw a piano as I was walking to my bath-- I should be able to play that." Sure enough a great piano graced the back wall of one Zoran room, and Amy didn't hesitate to make her way towards it. She played three notes, the first two made a sweet melody, but the last was off, causing all who heard it to cringe.

"No…" She whispered, trying again. This time the note rang too flat. "Once more." Amy rolled her eyes. Hitting the first two again, the last one finally fulfilling the melody. She repeated it, the sound filling the room and echoing out into the halls. Another beautiful voice took over, one that was not present, but expressed the magic of the song as it drifted out of Zora Hall and into the mountains. Amy listened in awe for a minute and then quickly ran to the docks, hopping into one of the boats and rowing toward the shore. Damien and Aura stumbled into it as well.

"Are you sure the horse heard it?" asked Aura. She picked up an oar and began helping Amy who replied with a sarcastic tinge.

"I don't think the song would have finished itself if it didn't work." Aura nodded and silently continued to paddle. Tatl circled jubilantly around them all as she saw the beautiful horse in the distance. Amy smiled with relief and began the next course of action.

"Okay, so Link and I will get the herb from the mountains and then he'll use that song to get the Deku one. Naomi, Arian, and Gangor are currently… sort of protecting the water one, leaving the fourth uncalled for." Damien read over the map.

"Then I guess I'll get that one." He laughed at an unknown irony. "I know this place like the back of my hand."

"Where is it?" Aura looked over his shoulder.

"It's Stone Tower… it was my home… a very, very long time ago." Aura smiled as Amy pulled them ashore.

"Then hopefully you'll know another way to get there. The only way out I know requires a horse, and Epona only trusts a few people… and hopefully I'm one of them." Damien nodded with a smirk, watching Amy approach Epona with all caution she thought necessary. The horse cocked her head to the side and flared her nostrils, but she didn't move as Amy awkwardly mounted her.

"I'm fairly sure I know another way out, through a skultulla house on the other side of the beach. There should be a tunnel deep inside that leads to some farm land near Termina Field." Damien replied as he waved to Amy. "I suppose you shall come with me then Aura, seeing as how it wouldn't be wise to leave you alone." Aura arched an eyebrow as she crossed her arms, but she remained silent.

"And I'll look after both of you." Tatl said to Damien, his eyes widened as Amy smiled and quickly said goodbye.

"Great, I'll see you guys soon, hopefully." She urged Epona onward, the horse taking flight in an instant. Damien was speechless as he looked from Tatl to Aura.

"Then I suppose we're all stuck together for the time being…" Aura said casually and began heading to the other side of the beach.

"Where are you going?"

"The skulltulla house… you said it was this way, right?" Aura asked, walking backwards to face him. He nodded while shaking his head at his momentary lapse of thought, making for a rather unusual mix of gesticulations. Aura grinned unnoticeably as Damien quickly jogged to her side, and the two began heading on their way.

This sudden split up would make them all more vulnerable, but each member still had one other that could be depended upon--a fact that may become a necessity.

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**A/n: Was it boring? Please R&R.**

**Note: The next three chapters will all be happening at roughly the same time, following the three groups separately. We'll try to make that very clear but you know how confusing split ups can be (remembering the beginning of this story) but this split up is much better organized, so hopefully it won't be too confusing. We'll try to get the next one posted in at most three weeks- sorry it takes so long and thank you so much for continuing to read this. : )**


	25. The Great Bay Temple: Part I

**A/n: We finally posted, so very sorry for the wait, but we were also mapping out the remainder of the story. And this chapter ended up having to be split in two because it is so freaking long and complicated, but quite necessary… hopefully… It gives you a little insight into Naomi and gives her a few more abilities than just being (I'm a pirate who can hit people with sticks.). Hope you like this one!

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The temple creaked as if it were alive. A robotic clanking haunted Gangor and Arian as they emerged from the water. The Zora climbed gracefully but cautiously onto the stone platform that acted as the temple entrance though only accessible from the water, stone surrounding all other sides. Arian, opposite to Gangor's entrance, dragged himself onto the floor while coughing sea water from his lungs.

"Were you trying to drown me?" He growled angrily between coughs, trying to pull himself to his feet. Gangor looked back absentmindedly, responding only out of reflex.

"No, not yet." Arian sneered at him as he spit the last bit of saltwater back from whence it came. "Now, come on… Naomi may not have gotten far, hopefully we can catch her, if we hurry." He quickly ran up the entrance ramp, standing between two lit torches. A wooden seal graced the stone landing, bearing a strange marking. Arian stopped on it, momentarily, but as he heard the door before him open and shut, he snapped out of his daze and quickly followed behind.

The shock of the new room stunned them both. There were many, many gears, all turning in accordance with some unknown contraption. Two platforms on either side of their stone landing would periodically rise and fall, taking them to a second floor. Another pool was before them, giving them little space to stand. Arian quickly mapped out the pipes in the room, gazing over everything to see how it worked.

"Amazing…" He whispered to himself. Gangor quickly took to the water, looking for Naomi. He circled the room twice before he discontentedly jumped back to Arian's side.

"She's not in here." He said worriedly. Arian spotted an exit on the upper floor and quickly pointed it out to Gangor.

"She probably went up there, knowing Naomi." Arian laughed at her cleverness. "Just wait for one of these platforms to come down, it'll take us right up to it." Gangor wrinkled his blue nose.

"What do you mean 'knowing Naomi'… how long have _you_ known her." Arian grinned to the Zora's response and as he jumped to the lowering platform, his feet getting a bit wet as it plunged a short ways into the water. Gangor quickly followed, waiting for his response.

"I've known her for six glorious days." Arian grunted, jumping to the second floor with a summersault. Gangor followed with a flying cartwheel, as is Zoran fashion.

"Yeah, well I've known her for six glorious years, so I say I know her best." Arian nodded as he jumped onto a gushing spout of water, balancing on the unsteady surface, and then throwing himself towards the higher platform where the door was. Gangor followed, clumsily doing the same, he too threw himself, falling short.

"Gotcha." Arian said as he pulled Gangor up by the fin that graced the back of his Zoran head. He set him down on his knees as the Zora griped about having his tail pulled. He looked up to Arian and sneered, the boy cocked his head to the side.

"You're welcome… Now let's go find Naomi."

The next room was more amazing than the last. A great turning shaft stirred a seemingly endless pool of water, the water too deep to see the bottom. The two stood on a small bridge hovering directly above the water, leading out to the wooden shaft. Both looked down in astonishment until Arian broke the silence between them.

"Who designed this place!" He asked in a disbelieving tone of voice, finding no viable use for such a contraption. Gangor didn't answer but looked up, away from the horrifying whirlpool of death below them, finding a ladder on the opposite side of the turning rod.

"There, maybe Naomi went there!" He exclaimed, Arian quickly looked to where he indicated.

"Well there's no harm in looking before we plunge into, where ever that leads." He said, staring back down into the deep. "I hope Naomi didn't fall down into that."

"She'd fair better than we will. Naomi's a better swimmer than I am, believe me, I've raced her before. She out swam me by ten seconds." Arian laughed, gazing back to his Zoran companion.

"Well, let's hope she didn't attempt this and go check that place out." Arian added. Gangor nodded in reply and quickly gazed back to the ladder.

"How are we going to get over there?" He asked, "This thing is blocking the path way." Arian looked below them, seeing two large paddles protruding form the shaft, circling just a few feet below the stone bridge they stood on. Without a word, Arian jumped onto one as it passed beneath the bridge. He balanced while the paddle took him to the other side of the shaft, allowing him to jump onto the other side of the bridge. Gangor watched, and then after a quick prayer, did the same. Arian waited on the other side and helped to pull him up, taking the arm that the Zora instinctively drew out.

The two continued up the ladder and through the door on the upper platform without another word. They were completely unaware of the eyes that had laid upon them from the moment they had entered the temple.

Another large basin of water lay before them in this new room. Two large pumps were within the water, more tubes running through them. Arian took a step forward, his brow arched in curiosity as to what these pumps were meant for as Gangor looked into the deep water. He saw several interesting fish circling beneath them, and nervously stepped back when he saw the fangs one of them bore.

Neither one noticed the wire netted ceiling above them, where a strange man stalked over to an opening just over their heads. He hesitated, waiting for the right moment to pounce upon them. This hesitation was just the amount of time needed for Arian's acute senses to detect the extra member of the room. He snarled out of instinct, even though his teeth were the normal length and sharpness and his appearance that of the boy he normally was. The man above them quickly reacted to his being discovered and jumped down before them. Out from the shadows appeared the deranged General Gaft, standing before them in all his darkened glory. Arian instinctively stood between him and Gangor, his lip curled up in a menacing yet boyish facade.

The General laughed as he began to recognize the snarl and intense reaction.

"So it is you… the one from the Town." He smiled as he stepped to the side, Arian moved in accordance. "I wasn't expecting you, and what? Without your fangs, claws, or even a tail?" He crossed his arms. "Why you're quite the creature aren't you?" Gangor spoke behind him.

"And what kind of creature are you?" He asked in an irrespective manner, sensing Arian's tenseness. The General laughed again.

"Why don't I show you?"

His last words were followed by the darkening of his eyes, signifying the beginning of a devastating blow. Arian anticipated, but a bit too late. He shoved Gangor into the water, taking the majority of the blow upon himself. There was a lapse of thought and he felt himself hitting the water, gasping for breath before he plunged beneath the surface. Only seconds later did he feel the fangs of an underwater beast gnawing upon his leg. A shocking sensation ran through him. Gangor took a moment to realize the dangers of the current predicament before he discovered that he would have to fight the creatures off Arian.

The Zoras had many battle tricks, many of which Gangor had failed to learn, but he knew of some, and he was in his own territory. He began to swim, spinning towards the creatures that were now dragging Arian to the bottom. He knocked into them, the bare bones of the smaller fish broke into many pieces, but the one large, fanged creature was only shaken. It was thrown from Arian, but quickly swerved around to face Gangor.

Gangor watched as Arian quickly swam back to the surface; the boy was nearly out of breath, breaking the water's surface with coughing gasps for air. The general took full advantage of the boy's momentary weakness. He watched with a laugh at the boy just before he slipped his hand into the pool. A black substance clouded the water he touched and slowly worked its way out to Arian.

The warped darkness worked its way around the surprised boy's shoulders. Arian realized what was happening in time to take one quick breath before he was forced back underneath. Gaft laughed as he watched the boy's blurred form struggle against the black substance and the Zora fighting helplessly against the fanged fish.

"This is going to be easier than I thought." Gaft said quietly to himself as he bent over the water, catching a closer look. He took pride in the pain he inflicted upon his now helpless victims. However, as the general was caught up in his glories, he failed to notice the figure of Naomi looming in the door behind him. The sound of the blast had captured her attentions during her search for the Ocarina. It had only taken her a few moments to navigate her way back up to the churning wheel and to the other door which hid Arian and Gangor's battle.

Naomi immediately recognized Gaft, not by his appearance, but by his laugh. She quickly caught sight of Arian struggling in the water, and was quicker to recognize the danger of the black mass surrounding him. The momentary pause seemed long to Naomi, in comparison to how fast her reaction actually was. Naomi quickly pulled out her pirate sword and slashed Gaft across the back, the sting causing him to fall forward into the pool. Naomi followed behind him. She dove gracefully into the water, with the sword out in front of her as she readied to battle him on her own terms.

Gaft acknowledged his disadvantage and was too quick to remember his previous, embarrassing, defeat. He was now more cautious, and willing to take time to catch his victims unawares. Naomi caught a glimpse of the injured general as he glared at her and disappeared into his own, now controllable darkness.

She took a momentary pause to gather her thoughts and examine the situation. Her heart dropped as she saw Arian curling up beneath the water. The black liquid was dissipating, but the boy seemed to have already run out of breath. Naomi quickly dropped her sword and dove into the water, swimming at an unnatural speed to his side. His green eyes were shut tightly, his body going limp as she began hauling him to the surface.

Using all of her strength, she pushed him onto the stone platform. In subconscious luck, her hand beat into his chest as she pulled herself up beside him. His reaction was immediate. Water burst from his lungs and he rolled to the side to cough up the remainder, breathing out a few incoherent words, but Naomi was able to hear one familiar name.

"…Gangor…" Naomi nodded curiously and looked back into the water. There the Zora was being tormented by a large, spiny skeleton fish. Naomi rolled her eyes as she grabbed her sword and went to rescue her poor friend. After waiting for the Zora to be still enough for her to safely strike the beast, she helped Gangor to the same ledge Arian was coughing on.

Naomi then jumped beside them as the two rested in agony. As both began to show signs of being well, Naomi replaced her sword and stared at them both in a disbelieving stupor.

"What are you two doing here?" She questioned. Arian sat up as he finished his coughing fit by wiping the tears from his eyes.

"We're saving you." He laughed, noting the irony. Naomi cocked her head to the side, her eyes rapidly blinking as she also laughed.

"Well, thank you… I suppose." She smiled at Gangor and began thinking of ways to mend his wounds from the fish. Her ingenuity prevailed and she unwrapped the scarf around her waist, to hide her stomach while she wore the rather revealing pirate attire. The scarf was then torn into several pieces which were then wrapped around the various cuts and gashes adorning his blue skin.

"Arian has a nasty bite on his leg too." Gangor said nervously as he stared gratefully into Naomi's eyes. She returned his nervous smile and used the last of the pieces on Arian's leg, wrapping it over his bloodied pant leg for extra bandaging. After all was well, Naomi found herself blushing out of shame as she revealed her reason for being in the temple.

"I'm afraid I must find the Ocarina before we try to leave… A fish stole it from me and--" Her explanation was cut off.

"And that same skeleton fish spit it back at us just as we went out to look for you. Amy is taking it back to Link right now." Arian finished for her. Naomi was once more dumbfounded. She laughed once and fell into thought.

"That's very odd." She said at last. Arian nodded.

"The oddness doesn't end there. A giant turtle who apparently has some sort of second sight was watching you and some other doings near the bay and woke up to tell us where you had gone, and that some evil thing was indeed trying to lure you into this temple."

"And I bet that evil thing and that strange man are directly correlated." Naomi interrupted.

"Gaft." Arian corrected. Naomi looked at him curiously. "His name, or what he calls himself, is General Gaft. He introduced himself before he started attacking me."

"No he didn't." The baffled Gangor retorted. Naomi lifted her chin in a likeness of when one makes a connection between two once separate ideas.

"Ah, you mean the first time he attacked you, in that underwater passageway of Clock town." Arian nodded. "I keep forgetting that was you." She blushed. Gangor rolled his eyes as he became irritated at not knowing about any of the conversation passing before him.

"So now that we're all caught up are we going to leave now?" He asked in a tone verging on bitterness.

"Yes, I suppose we should, before Gaft comes back. I'm lucky he decided to attack you two first. I don't think I would have been able to fend him off by myself." Naomi's soft voice rang while she helped Arian and Gangor to their feet. "This way I was able to sneak attack him." She laughed. "I don't think he expected me to decipher the layout of this temple so quickly."

"Yes, the first couple of rooms implied that it would be incredibly complicated." Arian concurred. The group walked through the door back into the largest room of the temple. Naomi gasped as she entered, noting a very important detail.

"The turbine… it's not spinning…" She ran to the edge, looking down at the still water.

"And that's a bad thing…?" Arian stated as a question, wondering if Naomi had discovered the secrets of this quirky temple. Naomi nodded dramatically.

"This temple was built by my people, the Nynians, in order to contain the poison that killed them." The jaws of her two companions inexplicably dropped as the news burned into their minds.

"What? How did you find this out? Are you sure?" Gangor's questions came quickly. Naomi nodded, calming herself down as she tried to pull out a quick explanation.

"As I was looking for the Ocarina I wandered into what seems to be the control room. It wasn't what I would expect to be a control room, but as I swam to the bottom of this pool, looking for that accursed fish, this white square in the middle of the circular floor seemed to awake at my very presence. Out of curiosity, I swam to it and as I hovered above it some strange lights floated around me and I was somehow able to read this compressed information about this entire temple and some about the doings of my people, pertaining to this poison anyway. I inferred that this poison they spoke about was the cause of their demise, since they were also testing for a way to reverse it's affects… that's what these green pipes are for."

"And the other ones?" Arian asked. The temple was slowly beginning to make sense.

"The red pipes contain the contaminated water and they run through various cleansing stations until they come to that first room you entered where it may be released which can turn the turbine the other way to operate the testing system with the green pipes. The yellow ones in the beginning are pulled directly from the clean water reserve in order to stimulate the hydroelectric power that runs this whole temple and keeps the collected poison contained. That's why the water must always be flowing, the electricity conducted by the two turbines creates a shield that keeps the water from being contaminated again." Arian nodded, his brain eagerly collecting the new information. Gangor however was still caught on the prospect of poison.

"So if this temple isn't started back up again, does that mean the Zoras could be in danger?"

"Yes, it means that anything living in the Great Bay is in grave danger." Gangor turned pale, his mind turning to his Zoran brethren. Arian's reaction was expressed in a deep sigh as he ran his fingers through his hair, then turning to Naomi asking.

"Well, where do we begin?" He asked, Naomi looked at him absently. "How do we fix this temple?" She bit her lip before responding.

"I think if I go back to that control panel, I could figure out which part of this huge contraption needs to be fixed, and maybe even which room, but it is just so incredibly difficult to read." Arian placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"It's nothing _you_ can't handle." Naomi blushed and smiled lightly at him as Gangor decided it would be best to get down to business.

"Okay then Naomi, lead us to the control room before the water gets contaminated." Gangor said angrily. Naomi nodded and grabbed Arian's hand.

"Hold your breath and jump on three." He nodded as she began counting. Gangor rolled his eyes and dove on 'two', Arian and Naomi following after him.

The absence of the whirlpool current was greatly appreciated by all. Naomi was able to find her way back much faster than flowing water would have allowed. Arian was especially appreciative of the haste, considering he was more partial to breathing air than his two companions who seemed to have an amphibious adaptation.

Gangor fell behind her as he followed her through a tunnel and into a room where Naomi surfaced to give Arian a breath. She released his hand and as he was treading water, Naomi swam back down to fight off several bloodthirsty fish she noticed were heading towards them. She replaced her sword and resurfaced next to Arian.

"Hold your breath again, it's just through one more tunnel, then we can walk the rest of the way." Arian nodded, breathing too heavily to respond properly. As soon as he drew a deep breath Naomi pulled him back under and made a swim for another tunnel entrance, guarded by two, long, green hands (part of the demonic flora that graced several temples of Termina.) Naomi quickly drew her blade once more and swiped them away. Gangor followed behind, thankful that Naomi was taking care of the strange predators.

They surfaced again in a long, narrow room. The small pool of water held three large lily pads, and at the very end of the room there was another stone platform leading to a door. Naomi let Arian tread water and catch his breath as she went ahead, showing the way as she climbed onto the stone landing. Gangor followed her as Arian slowly caught on and did the same.

"It's right through here, at the bottom of a deep pool. At first I was just exploring, curiosity I guess. But this white tile in the center of the pool reacted to my presence. The next thing I knew, I was reading these strange inscriptions… I don't know why, but I understood it, even though I know I have never seen it before, or at least I don't think I have."

"What have you read thus far?" Arian asked quickly as the three of them crossed through the door into the large room. A bridge lay before them, allowing them to cross over a stream of water towards the great pool Naomi had been speaking of.

"I read about everything I told you… and a little about my peoples' history, but I suppose I was too surprised, and a little shocked to read much more. I was heading back, to tell you guys about the temple, and to admit losing the Ocarina, when I head that loud explosion Gaft caused. I'm assuming correctly, am I not?"

"What?"

"That Gaft caused the explosion?"

"Ah, yes." Arian responded robotically. Naomi smiled at his weary expression.

"I'm going to go back down and see if I can't find out more about how this place works. I figure that will be a start to fixing it." The two boys nodded, watching Naomi dive into the water and swim to the very bottom. They were astounded as they watched her blurred silhouette become surrounded by a bright, blue light. That was the way of it; the information surrounded Naomi in lights, dancing in the water as it waited for orders from the girl before sorting itself to show whatever she wanted to see.

As Naomi sorted through the seemingly limitless amount of data, all that Gangor and Arian could do was wait, and watch. Boredom crept upon the two as the time passed by without much visible movement from Naomi.

"She's been a while… do you think she's okay?" Arian asked, still not accustomed to the fact that Naomi could thrive underwater much longer than he. Gangor nodded.

"She said she had done this before… and if this control room doubles as the historical holdings, than there's probably quite a bit of information for her to sift through before she finds anything of use." A silence followed, ending with the splash of Naomi's surfacing. The girl appeared frazzled as she held onto the edge of the pool. As Arian and Gangor bent down near her, she abruptly pulled them underwater.

Arian barely had enough time to breath in prior to hitting the water, but before his reflexes could force him to breath in the liquid, air was already surrounding him, Gangor, and Naomi. She had her hands raised above her, as if she held something heavy over her head. The girl continued to look from one to the other in a fretful manner.

"What is wrong Naomi?" Gangor asked as he glanced curiously at the water that surrounded them on all sides. It seemed to flow around them, yet leaving enough room for them to breath.

"And what is the meaning of…_this_?" Arian asked with a crack in his voice, inquiring about the sudden new trick she learned.

"I haven't much time to explain. Just know that this was a Nynian trick that the records taught me about. I can't do much else, but there isn't time to speak of my shortcomings."

"Then speak of what troubles you." Gangor urged her. "Why did you bring us down here?"

"The records, they told me of _his_ presence. Gaft. He's setting a trap for us, _all_ of us. He's also able to spy on us, watching our every move. It seems that he has the power to control all the evil beings that reside in this temple, and he's using them to listen to our conversation… hence, this." Naomi looked up at her creation. "This way, the water distorts our words too much to be heard, and all Gaft thinks is we're going for a swim."

"A very long swim." Arian muttered. "Well, how is he setting a trap, did it tell you that?"

"Yes, he knew I had already looked at the records and was knowledgeable of this place." She bit her lip. "Apparently he was too. He knew I wouldn't leave this temple unless it was working properly, therefore he--"

"Did whatever injury he could to it to lure you into fixing it." Arian finished.

"Exactly." Naomi nodded. "He's waiting to strike while we're involved with our repairs."

"A surprise attack…" Arian added. Gangor smiled.

"Fortunately it's not really a surprise anymore."

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**A/n: Was it good? Is anybody still reading? Am I alone? Well now I'm scared…………….. Hello? R&R please…………**


	26. The Great Bay Temple: Part II

**A/n: Man this one took a long time, but there is a lot of it, and there are A LOT of dynamics going on. Not to mention we are finished with this complicated temple.**

**Yes, crimson-88, you definitely caught us on a plot hole. Lol, I don't know why I thought that would be okay, but we (us two writers) talked and found a way to fix it in this chapter that goes along with Naomi's personality and history. Thanks for pointing that out, we do like our fantasy to be as realistic as possible, it just makes it more fun to read. **

**Well, here's the next chapter, I hope we didn't lose anyone in that excruciatingly long wait. I'll try to be better about writing and posting in the future, but I don't promise anything. All I can say is that the end is near (and by near I mean approximately 15 chapters away).

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The three surfaced in a shallow pool. Silver balls of spikes, weighted down by chains, were floatingin the waters about them. As soon as Arian caught his breath he asked about the strange objects. Naomi, who recognized them from the Pirate's fortress explained that they were bombs that were touch sensitive, detonating on impact; a fact that immediately caught his interest. While he was wrapped up in contemplating the mysteries of the new bomb, Gangor and Naomi were trying to figure out how they could fix the waterwheel and keep Gaft from assailing them. It was then that the young boy had a sudden idea.

"Naomi, take us under one of these bombs." Arian called out. His voice was breathy from treading water.

"What, why?"

"Just do it. Put us in another one of those air things. It shouldn't blow up underneath, I'm pretty sure that's where I can adjust it." Arian said, becoming quieter while he tried to hide his plan. Naomi swam over to his side when she understood his ploy. Arian grabbed her arm and let her drag him under, Gangor followed behind.

When the air was around him, Arian took a breath and began his explanation as he looked up at the bomb hovering above them. Gangor and Naomi peered nervously at it as Arian took to fidgeting with the bottom.

"I've worked with explosives before, and I think I can rig these up to blow up from a distant detonator. We'll set them up over in the corner of the room, near the wheel. Then when Gaft attacks, we'll lure him to the spot and…" Arian popped the bottom off with a grunt.

"And Gaft will get a little surprise of his own." Naomi wrinkled her nose with delight.

"Yep. Now that should have taken off the touch-detonation, but I'm not exactly sure, so we'll have to be careful about it when we start moving it." Arian said. Naomi nodded and told Gangor to take Arian out of the air bubble. There was a bit of protest, Arian thinking that he should handle the dangerous part instead of Naomi, but she insisted that she was the better swimmer, which won her the argument.

Arian and Gangor watched from a stone platform beneath the waterwheel and another elevator, when the spiked ball began moving across the water, Naomi's blurred form swimming underneath it. She surfaced next to him.

"It was perfect." Naomi said. She grinned mischievously and began speaking as if she knew another distant party were listening. "I'm sure this will really help us in fixing the wheel."

Arian smiled too, but he was smiling at Naomi's inability to act inconspicuously, but hopefully Gaft wouldn't notice.

"Yeah." Arian said loudly, mocking Naomi's voice. "It will work great." Naomi didn't catch on and nodded with a smile as the two went to work in unhooking several other bombs that Arian soon got to work on.

All the bombs they needed were now grouped near the platform with Gangor and Arian working on them while Naomi used her hookshot to jump on top of the wheel. She knew that there was something wrong with the inner workings of it, where the wheel generated and collected the electrical current that powered the temple.

Several stressful hours passed as the three were working. Each strange noise brought a hesitation that Gaft might arrive unexpectedly, but most were false alarms and merely noises made by the temple walls or its inner workings.

Using a couple of barrels, Arian was able to pack the corner with an intricate and meticulously crafted super-bomb. He pulled a few copper wires from his concoction and began to twist them together.

"Hey Naomi, let me up." He called to the girl working vigorously above him. She pulled herself away from her work long enough to tie a rope around the beam she sat on and threw it down to him. Arian climbed up, the wires in his mouth while his arms hoisted his body to the top. He sat next to Naomi and said very loudly, "I finished making the other _parts _for the _wheel_."

Naomi smirked. She had been given plenty of time to think about what had previously happened, and soon after had realized he was making fun of her.

"Good… so how is it going to work again… since I'm so _moronic_." She asked with a deep, sardonic tone. Arian reached down and brought her hand to his lips.

"Not moronic," he corrected, "just a little bit slow." She laughed at his joking attempt to make her feel better and blushed at his charming regard. Gangor, who had been watching the two of them, turned his head down to the bomb he and Arian had made. His heart sank a little when he saw how Arian's affection was so accepted by her, but he knew that she ought to have whomsoever she chose.

Gangor examined Arian's work and reviewed the boy's character based on the time he had spent with him. There seemed nothing unworthy of him that Gangor could see, despite him wanting to see it otherwise. A grin crept on his face. All this time he had wanted Naomi to find happiness with him through a loving relationship when she had been perfectly happy with their friendship for all those years. Gangor shook his head when he realized that all of his attempts to be closer to her had only pushed the girl away, and his greater desire now shined before him, overshadowing his previous wish. Naomi was happy, he had never seen her happier, and he had never known anyone else who showed so much concern for her other than himself and Lulu. Therefore, Gangor realized that his greatest wish had been fulfilled in a different way than what he had anticipated.

The Zora looked back up to see Arian readying the wires around the wheel. He remembered what the boy's plan had been, and vaguely understood the concepts that would trigger the detonation. Apparently the wheel held some leftover electrical current, which ought to be just enough to make their bomb explode. Gangor didn't understand exactly how this would occur, but he had faith that Arian knew what he was doing.

Naomi looked over the side at her friend and jumped into the water near where he was. She surfaced, and reached to give him an excited hug just as she had done when they were children. This was what Gangor wanted, to keep this kind of friendship. So Gangor returned her hug, not in the attempt at romanticism as he had once tried, but as a friend.

Arian smiled down upon them, he knew that they were just friends now. It was a sudden, omniscient understanding among all of them, one observer, however, had a different and absurd understanding of the current situation.

"Must you try to obtain every man you come across?" Came Gaft's booming voice. He was disgusted by the whole ordeal, and even though he had intended to catch them by surprise, his observations had irked him into speaking. Still, he had nothing to worry about, for the echo of his voice made the three confused as to where he was, and he was still able to make the first blow. Once more he headed for Arian first, knowing what the beast-man was capable of, and he considered him the strongest.

Naomi shrieked when she saw Arian flying across the wheel above them. The boy was barely able to hold on to the edge, and the cord had fallen into the water below him, seeing how he had to let it go in order to keep himself from falling. He suspected that Gaft would once more try to drown him in the same fashion as before, since it had worked so well. If it hadn't been for Naomi, Gaft would have succeeded in killing him.

Now Arian struggled to pull himself back onto the main part of the wheel, but his weight on the outer end of the paddle turned it. The boy hung helplessly above the water, his arms locked above his head and quickly tiring hands gripping the wood.

Gaft stepped out of his hiding place, admiring his handy-work. Naomi could now see where he stood and realized that their plan was in action, despite its rocky start.

"Gangor, get ready to pull Arian out of the water when he falls. I'll take care of Gaft and then we can try to continue with our plan." The Zora nodded and dove into the water. Naomi used her hookshot to pull herself where Gaft was. Her ancient staff was drawn and ready for battle before she had even landed. Gaft looked her up and down, a pause Naomi had not anticipated as she had braced herself for his first assault.

"Such a pity." Was all the man said. Naomi slackened her guard in confusion. A mistake she soon regretted when another blast from the empowered being blew her from where she stood. She ripped her hookshot from her belt and did the best aim she could while flying through the air, shooting a second later, luck helped her hook onto the barrels of gunpowder without activating them and she was quickly pulled to them.

Arian had dropped when Gaft had blasted her and Gangor had been there to pull him to safety. The two met Naomi on the bomb site. Gaft peered down on all three.

"Where's the cord?" Naomi asked. Arian looked in the water.

"There," It was far out in the pool, and what was worse, it had broken in two and was no longer long enough to reach its intended destination. Naomi frowned deeply and glanced back to where Gaft had been. He had disappeared from sight when they had been looking for the cord.

"Is there any other way to activate it?" Naomi asked.

"It would have to be pierced in the middle, here and then have the sides gouged to continue the reaction through both barrels and all the powder." Arian indicated the spot. Naomi looked to Gangor.

"Your fins, do you think you could shoot them off like Mikau did…" Naomi asked, recalling the legendary Zoran warrior Lulu had told her about. She continued, "only, from under the water and then try your very best to quickly swim away?" She asked her friend hesitantly. She did not want to leave it to Gangor to fulfill this dangerous mission, but she did not have anything that could penetrate the barrels from a long range, Gangor was the only one. The Zora nodded, happy to have a duty.

"How far would I have to be… to get away and hit it?" Gangor asked nervously, but he gulped down his fears and gained a strong expression on his face.

"I don't know… The blast radius I know will be at least ten feet larger than what it was, but besides that, it's hard to tell."

"Show me where that marker is… I'll do my best to get away." Gangor said sternly. Naomi had never seen him so brave, but now Gangor was filled with purpose, and with that came courage.

"Arian, you and I will fight Gaft up there. Gangor, watch where Arian goes above you, then swim underneath him, I'm sure I can distract Gaft for that long." Naomi said. "We'll try to throw Gaft down near here, when you see him falling, shoot, then swim away as fast as you can." Gangor nodded. Naomi sighed as worry filled her heart and she gave him a tight hug.

"Good luck." She said, a few tears threatened to fill her eyes. She truly did not want Gangor to do this, but she knew that there was no other way. "Come on Arian. Keep a look out when we get up there, our 'friend' seems to have disappeared again." Arian patted Gangor on the shoulder before gripping Naomi's waist. She pulled them both up with the hookshot.

Gaft was no where to be seen as they landed. Arian and Naomi quickly looked separate ways for their attacker. When it was observed that Gaft was no where in sight, Naomi initiated the second plan.

"Okay, Arian." Naomi whispered. "Go now." Arian took off to the spot he estimated to be a safe distance away, but he took Gangor just a few more feet away, as a precaution.

"Do you think you can hit it from here?" Arian asked. Gangor sighed and shook his head.

"No, but I'll try to be here before my fins hit it." Gangor muttered. Arian's hearing was still quite acute. He knew what Gangor had said and bit his lip, looking anxiously back to Naomi.

"I don't think Gangor will make it out in time. We'll barely have enough time to make it to _our _safe-spot as it is." The safe-spot was where Naomi had originally intended her, Arian, and Gangor to go. It was a small stone room built high into the wall that had one wooden torch burning in it. She was going to hookshot them all into that room just after detonating the bomb, but now that Gangor was too far beneath them, there was no way to get him, get back up, and then hookshot into the hidden room before the bomb went off.

Naomi shuddered, but there was still hope left in her.

"Giant of the west, lend Gangor your strength." She whispered under her breath.

"You ought to be praying for yourself." The overly confident Gaft blurted out, once more blowing his cover.

Arian and Naomi were quick to ready themselves for battle as Gangor looked intently above, watching for the moment when he would risk his life to save them all.

Gaft advanced upon Naomi as Arian sat back for a moment. Relief flooded his mind as he felt the night set in. Even without the moon's light, his body would morph once night fell upon the land, and he could feel the change begin to take place. With a howl he turned back to face Gaft.

"I was wondering when you were going to do that." Gaft said slyly. "It'll be just like old times."

Once more he came for the heavy blow, but Arian and Naomi were ready this time. They were both able to dodge the attack and keep balancing on the unsteady wheel. The general quickly turned to attack Arian once he found that they had both dodged his attack. With this movement the wheel began to revolve with the shifting weight. All three found themselves in constant motion to stay on top.

Arian jumped from the paddle where he stood as he realized it was sinking. He gripped the rod extending from the paddled wheel to either side of the wall and swung around, back onto his feet in time to be hit in the head by Gaft. He fell, but was able to keep hold of the turning rod. Naomi came upon Gaft from behind to aid poor Arian and was able to occupy the general long enough for Arian to be pulled back to the top by the wheel's revolution.

Gangor continued to watch from below. He gasped when he saw the black substance fly from Gaft as the general once more tried to make it encompass Naomi, but she was ready this time and Arian was also able to aid her.

Their teamwork quickly overwhelmed Gaft, much to Gangor's relief, and the Zora soon heard Arian yell down to him.

"Get ready Gangor!"

In an instant, Gaft was thrown over the side and Gangor released his fins. Naomi and Arian ran to the edge of the wheel while she pulled out the hookshot, but the fins fell short just as Gaft landed on the platform.

Gangor quickly swam back to catch the fins and try again, but now Gaft was on to them. He swam towards Gangor in a fury, but the Zora was set on completing the mission despite Naomi's pleas to run away. She shouted and cried at him to go and Arian had to keep her from falling off, he knew that she would be too late.

The fins were once more released, this time from a closer range. Then, in blind bravery, Gangor swam straight for Gaft with all his might. The Zoran speed pushed the surprised general back. Naomi cried out in anguish while Arian ripped the hookshot from her limp hand and pulled them both to safety just before the force and fire of the explosion filled the room.

Despite Arian's quick attempt to get them both to safety, they felt their arms, legs, and faces being scorched by the blast as they were pulled across the room. The two landed in their safe-spot, Arian covering Naomi in a protective manner. Wind picked up in their little cove, but the debris and destructive force from the bomb was obstructed by the stone surrounding them… they were safe.

As quickly as the blast had begun, it ended. Naomi's tear streaked face looked up into Arian's tearing eyes. Even though they both suspected, Naomi still had a tinge of far-reaching hope. She quickly broke from his protesting grip and ran to the edge. Her eyes gleaned the wreckage, expecting to see her friend swimming up underneath them with that goofy smile on his face, like he would normally get after doing something he hoped would please her.

Naomi clutched the wall, but neither the strength of her arms nor legs could hold her up. She dropped in a pathetic state, weeping incessantly. Her friend was gone.

Arian's arms wrapped around her. He looked down, not wishing to see. He wiped the tears from his eyes and tried to make himself strong to console Naomi, but only time could stop her from weeping.

"Gaft is now destroyed." Arian said, once more biting back tears. "Gangor is a hero." Naomi accepted his comforting embrace. She tried to slow her breathing, the tears continued to stream from her eyes.

"I will make sure that everyone knows that…" She could barely say the words. Arian tensed.

"If only I hadn't taken him back so far… He could have hit it the first time and maybe escaped."

"Don't waste this time blaming yourself. Sometimes fate is a devilish thing… no one is happy with what has happened… but Gangor would not want us sitting here blaming ourselves for something he did _for_ us." Naomi suddenly became strong, though she was still shaking from her collapse. A smile crossed her teary face as she laughed, suddenly remembering something from the past.

"Now I remember." She whispered. Arian loosened his grip on her.

"Remember what?"

"Where I saw that writing… it was so long ago." Naomi reminisced. "The pirates, they found me when I was about seven… something terrible had happened, but for some reason I could never remember what, all I knew was that I had this book with me. It was a children's book, written in that language… my language… The pirates, they had banned reading from the fortress, so they were going to take it, but I got out before they could, I just really wanted to protect that book. It really meant something to me…"

"I made it outside the walls, I can't remember how. I may have climbed over them. That's when I first met Gangor. We were both so young, and he had strayed from his parents during a fishing trip. He promised me he would take the book and hide it until I could get it back… I wonder where he put it, or if he even remembered. It was so long ago. The pirates had tried to make me forget everything about my past, so they could train me as a pirate… I can't believe I almost forgot who I was."

Arian smiled. "So that's why you know how to read… you were taught before."

"That's also why it's so hard to read." Naomi laughed. "I have the literary training of a seven year old and can barely even remember _that _much." a musing silence ensued, allowing for the reality of the situation to set back in.

"Where to now?" Arian asked, trying to get back to business. The momentary smiles had fallen from both their faces.

"We must get the temple working again. The wheel didn't appear to be damaged, but I can check at the _main _control center."

"The main one?" Arian asked when he noted her emphasis on the word. He stood and slowly helped her up.

"Yes, it is deeper inside the temple, where the sea is pulled in to be purified."

"How do we get there from here?"

"We go out the way we came and then… through one of the…" Naomi tried to pull the map back from memory. "Then through one of the lowest tunnels."

"Will we know which one?" Arian asked worriedly. Naomi nodded.

"Whichever one isn't red."

"Then let's finish this, for Gangor." Arian ended. Naomi smiled through some renewed tears.

"Yes, for Gangor… who has just saved all of Great Bay and anything else Gaft would have destroyed."

Arian also allowed some happiness to shine on his face and he leaned in to kiss Naomi for love of her optimism.

"Come now." She said after the kiss which made her face glow. "We ought to get this done and get back out to the others… to tell them of our dearest friend's heroism."

The two jumped into the water. Naomi's strength threatened to leave her again as she left the room without the third member of their party, but she carried on, knowing that Arian could not breath for very long underwater and couldn't handle a stall in her speed.

As the two tracked back, something in the blackened debris stirred. Gaft and Gangor were gone without a doubt, neither bodies were to be found, but Gaft's body was inhabited by something more. When he drank the cup of Fear, a spawn of that dark creature had infested his body, slowly growing and waiting to take over him completely. That dark, fluid, creature stirred from it's spot, and though it was very weak, it was vengeful. The creature moved while keeping in tact in an ever changing form. It left through cracks in the stone wall, following the essence of the two that left.

* * *

There was what appeared to be the roots of a strange tree growing within the room where the green pipeline led from the water at an angle to the wall where it trailed to the final outlet. Naomi swam to the pipe and let Arian take his footing on it so he could begin walking up. She followed behind him. 

"This must be the test water room they were talking about. They take the sea water and the purified water and pour it through the green tubes into this room. When that tree buds green, it means the poison is fully gone from the bay." Naomi explained. Arian stared with interest at what appeared to be a brown stump rising above the water.

"Are you sure it's not dead?" He asked nervously. "Should we even be swimming in this water?" Naomi laughed.

"Don't worry, a little bit of exposure to the poison doesn't hurt you. You just might feel a little nauseous once we leave, but if too much poison escapes from here, the prolonged exposure within the Great Bay could be devastating." Naomi made her way onto the large platform where the key to unlock it had already been turned, but no water came out of the green expiry. "We'll have to somehow use the rope to get across because there doesn't seem to be anything I can hookshot onto."

"Or I could do this." Arian said in his beastly form. He jumped to the small outlet and bent far down, the muscles in his legs were all flexed as he jumped with all his might. The jump was just far enough for Arian to grip the side of the platform and pull himself up.

"Throw me the rope and jump down, I'll pull you up." He called from the other side. Naomi did as he said and soon they both were running through the large doors to greet a large hole in the floor.

"Where is the control center?" Arian asked. Naomi groaned.

"I think it's down there."

Arian rolled his eyes and grabbed her hookshot. He pulled the end out, and reaching around to the underside of the hole, he used mere strength to force the point into the stone.

"Now hold on to me." He ordered. Naomi laughed and did as she was told once more. He let the hookshot chain extend so they could let themselves drop down to where they were only a few feet from the stone platform where the five white squares were in the same order as they were in the other control room. The only difference was that this control center was above the water on a circular platform while the other had been in a square chasm underneath the water.

"Now how are you going to get my hookshot out of that?"

"Easy," Arian replied with a laugh. "You get to work on starting this thing back up and I'll work on this hookshot." Naomi shook her head with a laugh.

"Okay, hopefully it won't take as long this time. I've remembered most of my seven year old education and learned some new words using context clues."

"Good, now get to work." Arian smiled back at her. Naomi wordlessly walked to the center square, Arian watched as the stones lit up around her, a white light surrounded her and he could barely see her form with her hand raised in front, touching small blue symbols which reacted to her contact and either brought more small blue symbols or disappeared.

He watched in awe for a moment but then decided to get back to work on reclaiming her hookshot. He decided that there really was only one way to do this. Setting off the hookshot once more began to pull the chain in. Arian was hoisted into the air and to the spot the chain was embedded. He threw his legs up and pushed off the ceiling, his hands pulling the part of the metal that was stuck inside the rock. His force broke it free and he fell, this time into the water surrounding the platform, just as he had intended. He surfaced the water with the hookshot in one hand, using the other to pull his hair from his eyes before he began swimming back.

He didn't look at Naomi's still shining form long before he began his way to the platform. He didn't see the black creature crawling it's way around the light, and Naomi didn't notice it until it had almost completely surrounded her and by then it was too late for her to do much of anything, but she did have a plan.

Arian climbed back onto the platform to find that the translucent orb of white was now a solid orb of black. He called out Naomi's name, dropped the hookshot to run near the thing. Arian had no idea what he was up against, but when he didn't hear Naomi respond, he became convinced that it was something bad. He pulled out the bone dagger he had been working on back at Zora Hall, though it was incomplete it was still sharp enough to do some damage.

"Naomi, I'm going to try to pierce this side." He yelled, there was still no response so without any hesitation, Arian forced the dagger into the black substance. It delved into it easily so he continued to force it downwards, trying to rip a hole, but after any opening was made it was immediately resealed and soon the creature reached out, using tentacle-like arms it formed from its mass, and gripped the dagger, slowly climbing up it until Arian was forced to let go to protect his own arm.

"Naomi!" He screamed again. He didn't know what to do, giving time for his desperation to kick in. The beast dug into the black substance, not caring what it was capable of. He let it wrap around his hands and tried to pull it back, forcefully ripping as many gaps as possible, but it was beginning to overwhelm him. The hopeful rays of light that made it through were once again resealed, as had happened before, and now Arian's arms were being overtaken.

The platform shook and Arian fell to his knees; the black substance was now creeping its way past his elbows. A large wave over took the platform from all sides. Arian gasped in a breath and ducked his head into the remainder of his free arm. In the second instant his captured hands turned unbelievably cold. He opened his eyes and shook his hair from his face.

His hand was covered in black ice; the creature was no longer liquid, but a fragile solid form. Arian pulled his hands back, the ice around them broke with his force. The pieces fell to the ground and unfroze, boiling into nothingness. The white light behind the gaping hole disappeared and Arian heard Naomi's voice.

"Start breaking it apart now. It should die without the majority of its body." Naomi's eye peaked through the hole. "I'll step back, just keep hitting it." Her bright little eye disappeared and now it was Arian's turn to laugh in astonishment. He did as she said and quickly shattered every part of the creature. The two watched as the pieces fell into the water and boiled into oblivion.

"How did you do that?" Arian asked as he gave her a hug. "Did you figure out how to jumpstart this temple?" Naomi laughed joyfully at his reaction.

"Yes, I did, and as it turns out, my people were more powerful than I thought."

"You mean you can… I don't even know how to describe that?" Arian suddenly remembered his hands as a cold pain ran through them. He rubbed his wrists. "Frostbite." Naomi brought him to the side and lowered his arms into the warm water.

"I can control the tides and turn water to ice if I wish… apparently, my staff can collect water and I can turn that to ice, making it any shape or form, and shoot ice shards from it if I wish."

"Where did you learn that?"

"After I checked the maintenance of our wheel and read through the manual of how the entire temple works, which was incredibly hard because I didn't know half the words, but I was able to pull a basic understanding… anyway, after that, I found that I had to learn how to control the tides in order to begin the reaction again, so I went to the warrior's archives where there was inscribed all of our offensive secrets. It was at about that time that I noticed the large black creature surrounding me." The two laughed.

"You amaze me."

"I'm not done yet." Naomi laughed. Her eyes sparkled with delight. "Do you remember that plant that Link needed from here?" Arian nodded in reply. Naomi then pointed to the water. "It's in there. All we have to do is swim down and pull out one of those large plants. And then." She looked to the center where a blue light rose from the center block.

"What's that?"

"It's the quickest way out. It ought to warp us straight to the entrance of Zora Hall."

"Well what are we waiting for?" Arian said. Naomi smiled and dove into the water, returning a second later with a large plant. She handed it to Arian and then stood near the shining exit. Another quake rocked the area and Arian could see the water around them stirring. In the distance he could hear many mechanisms turning on, the temple was working once more.

Naomi settled herself as Arian stood and came to her side. One hand held the large plant and the other wrapped around her waist.

"I suppose we should go now…" Arian looked down. "And prepare the proper rites for Gangor… he deserves an extravagant farewell."

Naomi nodded and the two walked together into the blue light, exiting the temple that had been the death of Gangor but the saving grace of Great Bay.

* * *

**A/n: Yes, this one didn't have as much… or any humor in it, and was actually quite sad. I almost cried while writing it but that's because I based Naomi's character off my own (and I tend to put myself in her place to make her a believable character.) I hope it was still good writing and good reading, and I promise you, this is not the last of Gangor!**


	27. Through Fire and Ice

**A/n: Hey, so sorry it took FOREVER! But my sister fell in the hospital for a month (she's all better now! Yay!) and then we had exams…. EXAMS!!!! And then there was Christmas…. Luckily, us writers were able to collaborate just enough to get this written. We are really sorry it took so long, but more relieved that it got done. This should be amusing, and we hope you know a dramatic change occurring in Link that will not only be explained but also crucial to the plot in two or three chapters from now. (we have this thing laid out, and an ending planned. It gonna be good) **

**Hope you guys are still reading, and that you didn't give up hope. We are always gonna be here. **

**-So glad this story isn't getting too stupid or smutty…. Makes me happy….**

**LALALLA- OK I'm DONE stalling. It's been a long past three months.

* * *

**

During the torment that Naomi and Arian faced within the Great Bay temple, Amy was tormented with the much less grave problem of catching up to Link. The hero had traveled to the entrance of the mountains on his horse, who had returned to the Bay upon Amy playing Epona's song on the piano. Now Amy rode upon her and clumsily reached the blacksmith's house near the base of the path to Snowhead.

Amy looked around, noting the deep snow and realized how cold she was in her threadbare attire. It was a naturally long winter, so the snow was not the result of an evil curse as it had been when Link was last there.

Shivering, Amy dismounted and ran to the little house, seeking warmth. There was _no way _she was going to make it up the mountain as cold as she was. Amy crossed her arms around her chest as she realized she was in the presence of two strange looking men. One was large and grey looking, covered in wrought iron attire from head to toe. The other was small and shrewd in appearance. After a rather startling, long grunt from the grey man, the latter put on a charming expression upon seeing Amy.

"Ah, a customer. Gaboro, put on some coffee." The man said. Amy arched a brow.

"Umm… actually, I need a coat… and I have to get to Snow…head?" Amy wasn't sure of the name as she was recalling it from their conversation with Link. "Immediately if possible…" She ended in an awkward tone. There was a short silence, as there always was with Amy.

"Uh, well." the short man began. Gaboro grunted again. "You could borrow one of mine or one of Gaboro's… I'm afraid that's all we have." Gaboro grunted for a third time as he pulled out several coats.

Amy was grateful to see the woolen warmth until she noticed the gigantic stature of Gaboro and the tiny stature of the other man. She at first tried on the smaller jacket. It couldn't button around her bust and didn't cover her midriff.

"This will never do…" She sighed and just took the larger one. "Thank you! Uh, is that the way to Snowhead?" She asked, pointing to the well-worn path with the sign outside that said in very small letters 'Snowhead'. The small man nodded.

"Yes, you will find that it is much easier to travel now that the bridges have been put in place. The tourist attraction has also brought us more customers." He said. "Tell everyone where you got your jacket!" Amy smiled and left, and as she turned, she appeared to be nothing more than a walking jacket, the bottom of it trailing on the floor. The door closed on her woolen tail and she had to open the door again in time to hear one last thought from the small man.

"I wonder if we should go into the jacket business…" She grinned in amusement and mounted Epona again. The horse at first didn't recognize her, but when she realized that the new, larger size wasn't accompanied with much more weight, she relaxed.

"On to Snowhead Epona, it looks like this jacket will keep you warm too." Amy said, noting how it draped over the horse's sides. Epona whinnied and began the ascent.

Link reached Snowhead on foot, having dismounted Epona before entering into the Mountain village entrance, remembering how Epona hadn't been able to climb those slopes before. However, as he had been walking, he realized that Epona's now long legs would have easily taken him all the way up to Snowhead.

He shook his head and sighed. Frost came from his mouth with his big breath and Navi shivered and hung close to his head.

"L-L-Link?" Navi shivered. "Did we really have to walk?" Link smirked, he knew the honest answer, but to keep Navi silent he just nodded his head. She flew back and forth with him, trying to remain in the warmth trapped by his blonde hair. Unlike Link, she didn't deal well with cold for long, and it had been a very long hike up there. Not to mention the hike had kept him warm enough.

Finally they reached the entrance into the temple. It was at the top of a large tower of ice that could only be reached by a long ramp that wrapped around the structure several times. Last time Link had been there, large Snowballs had been falling from the top and rolling down, and there had been no railings on the sides as there were now, so Link was relieved at how easy it was while Navi, who had never been there before, complained about the annoying length of the entrance ramp.

Another great difference befell his eyes upon entering the temple. Large glass walls contained the creatures that had once attacked him at his first entrance. They were little white balls of fuzz with bright red eyes. They were annoying little devils, that would certainly drain you of all the energy you had, but now they were a harmless spectacle. Goron inscriptions graced a plaque outside of their cage.

"This will certainly be a lot easier than it was last time." Link said, noting the soft, drumming music the Gorons had set up about the place to create the mood. In the next room there were three doors, one on each wall before him. This time there were plaques above each one, but they were still in the Goron writing.

"Navi, do you know what they mean?" Link asked the fairy, he had been uninterested in the first plaque, for he already had an idea of what it said, but these three signs could help him find the way to the top of the tower, depending on how the Gorons had renovated the place.

Navi hovered about the sign, her light blue color turning a lime green to indicate she was using the part of her brain she now so frequently shut off.

"This one says 'To Stone Pillar and Ice Sculptures'." She said at the door directly in front, she flew to the one on his left. "This says 'To Goron Hall of Fame and Ramps'," she flew to the one on his right, "This one says 'To Lava Pit and Grand Staircase'."

"Grand Staircase sounds promising." Link commented, heading to the door on his right. "I just wonder about the Lava Pit… I should probably change to my fire tunic, just in case." In an instant he had changed from his normal green to a deep red.

"How do you do that so fast?" Navi asked. She had blinked momentarily and had missed him changing. Link shrugged and walked on.

A flash of memory suddenly came back as Link walked into this room. There was a bridge strung across a fiery chasm, a neat sign was hung next to this wooden bridge stating 'caution, bridge may be icy' in multiple languages. It was at this moment that Link fully realized the physical paradox taking place within this temple. Snowhead was a volcano covered with ice inside and out that never seemed to melt despite the high temperatures. In this particular instance, the icy bridge was strung only 200 feet above a hot pit of lava, but the ice was present nevertheless.

Last time, as Link had remembered, there had been a gaping hole in the middle of the bridge. Luckily he had been able to turn into a Goron with a magical mask and was able to do a Goron roll off the slightly inclined end and made it to the other side. Now, however, it was once more a lot easier. There were railings on the sides that Link gripped onto and began walking across. The gaping hole was now also gone, another sign was posted on one of the rock walls beside him, telling of the history of Darmani and of the temple itself, since this was a rather general room. Link stopped to read it, to see if there was anything written about him. Navi set to work translating the Goron dialect.

The sign read as follows: "The _great hero_, Darmani overcame death and other perils to save our great and beautiful temple of Snowhead and also our homeland in the great, big mountains. He destroyed the great monster that had once lived in this great temple, which had set a great, great winter upon our great city—" Navi paused to comment.

"Why do they keep using 'great' so much? You know… it'd be GREAT if they could find some other adjectives!" Link shook his head with an incredulous expression on his face.

"Well, I guess it's just a bad translation…" He was cut off by somebody yelling his name.

Link turned to where he thought he heard the voice to see, much to his surprise, Amy running at him in an oversized coat, flailing at her sides.

"Link, I have your… your thing!" She waved the ocarina amid her run. Link, getting over the initial shock, realized that Amy was too consumed with the moment to read the sign about the ice on the bridge.

"Amy, wait!" Link yelled. "The bridge is—". Amy's surprised scream cut him off. She had indeed slipped and while flailing her arms she threw the ocarina. Link dove to catch it, and while he was on the ground he failed to notice that Amy had flipped over the railing and was now falling down into the lava pit.

He stood up to check for damages on the ocarina, when he noticed Amy was no longer running towards him. His eyes widened in terror and he ran over to the railing. All he could see at the bottom of the pit were the flames consuming the humongous jacket that Amy had been wearing. Link stared for a moment, feeling the adrenaline pumping through him start to wear off.

"Link! What happened? Is she okay?" Navi cried out. Link stood for a moment, not saying anything.

"I don't know." He said quietly, still in shock.

"OWW! DANGIT!" Something pushed the remains of the jacket away. Link jumped in surprise, his jaw hanging open.

Amy stood in the waist-deep lava pit, trying to pull the quickly hardening lava out of her hair. She look untouched by the flames, and her clothes were perfectly intact, unlike the coat that had burned so easily. Link's mouth remained agape for the duration of the time it took her to climb the obscenely long ladder that brought her back up to the bridge. He was still stunned when he saw her next to him, where he could see that her metal buckles were still glowing a bright red from the heat, but the glow was already waning as they cooled in the strangely cold air that blew across the bridge.

"Well that was… rousing." Amy said for lack of a better word or conversation starter. Link remained silent for a moment longer, once more bringing the awkward feeling that Amy was becoming accustomed to.

"You-you're not hurt?" He asked in a way that both made an obvious statement while inferring his true question, 'how?'. Amy caught the inference after a moment of staring at him.

"Oh, yeah…" She started, as usual. "Lava just doesn't hurt me… and my people make clothes that are impervious to lava." Amy shrugged while Link shook his head with a strange mixture of amazement and extreme annoyance.

"So lava doesn't hurt you?" He asked with a strangled voice. Amy shook her head.

"It only stings a little." She shrugged again. His face soon contorted into a strange sort of angry expression.

"You… I was so!… I…" Link uttered before he started growling.

"Link?" Amy asked worriedly as she noticed his face was now flushed. "Are you o--" Before Amy could finish her sentence, Link's gloved hand had shoved her back over the side, and she once more went plummeting into the pool.

"CURSE YOU LINK!!!" She screamed as she descended.

"What was that all about?" Navi asked, noting the strange scene. Link said nothing and they once more waited for the now angry Amy to return to them. Link gave her a goofy smile before turning to continue on his way. Amy was fuming, literally from the lava, and her expression showed her deep frustration with his last act, but he gave her no time to say anything. They both remained in an estranged silence as they started to ascend the Grand Staircase.

The Gorons had really altered the interior of the temple. Link remembered that there had been a very tall circular room that had become quite a pain the last time he had been there, for he had to continue to return to that room, and as a Goron, ramp across various gaps to other doors making a complicated trip to try to reach the top. Now, however, the Gorons had made a grand staircase of ice that spiraled around the outer wall, going all the way to the top.

Amy's ankle was hurting, for she had sprained it in the last fall. She limped rigidly and coldly passed Link, doing all she could to ignore the pain and ignore him. She started to pretend that it was just her and Navi there, getting the root for Naomi. That was the only thought that could calm her down at that moment. Her plan was working out great, and she had almost forgotten Link was even there until he made his presence known with an awkward gesture of kindness.

"Your hair." Link sighed as it had been something that had been bothering him since she limped ahead of him, but he had also tried to ignore it. However, his considerate nature had gotten the best of him. Now Amy turned with an icy look on her face upon hearing his comment, so Link continued, "It has rock in it."

"What?!" Amy's icy expression became that of shock as she began feeling her straight locks, back to the ponytail and down to the tips. Her hands finally brushed what he had been talking about. It was a chunk of now solid rock that had attached itself to several hairs near her scalp, above the ribbon that held her hair back.

She groaned and growled while her nails vainly dug into the hard rock. Link put out his rough hand and tried to pull on it as she pulled her hair free from the ribbon.

"Ow!" She pushed him away. "You are not pulling out another chunk of my hair." Link stared at her awkwardly while she let her other hairs fall away from the trapped ones. The encrusted hair swung to her right side in gawky fashion.

"Another chunk?" He asked. "I don't recall the first chunk."

"When we met." Amy sighed. She tried another approach at ridding herself of the solid lava, but it came to no avail and she went on with her story after another irked moan. "My hair got caught in your sword thing, and when you pulled it out, you also pulled out some of my hair." Her tone was not angry with Link, but frustrated with that stubborn obstruction in her hair. She started banging the piece of rock against the wall and ended up crushing one of her fingers. A shriek of pain followed by her sucking on her sore finger brought sympathy and amusement to Link.

"Here." He said and held out his hand as if he were about to do something, but he stopped, his eye's asking for permission. Amy was confused, but nodded her head and then turned it to expose the rock-encrusted side. Link rested his hand around the chunk, the red jewel of his gauntlet sparkled like the ice on the stairwell. He squeezed, and after a crunch, Amy could see small dusty fragments fall to her side. Link released her hair and allowed her to brush out the remains.

"Thank-you…" Amy uttered without a smile. Her eyes darted from him back to the staircase.

"You're welcome." Link tried to smile warmly. Navi got close to his ear.

"_compliment her Link_…" She whispered in a voice that was quieter than she had ever been. Link laughed at Navi's random notion, but humored her and took the advice.

"You look good with your hair down…" He said quickly and then started walking again, he didn't want to see her reaction. Amy was shocked, but thought it proper to repay the unexpected compliment.

"And you…um…" She started. "You look good in red." Link didn't look back. Amy continued to follow him as he responded to her compliment.

"Thanks… it keeps me from getting burned." It was all the response he could think; to explain the function of his tunic, but Amy took it in a different light.

"Naw, I'm still going to bitterly insult you…" She replied with a wry grin. Link's eyebrows wrinkled his forehead.

"No, I mean--" He looked back to see Amy's dumb smile. He laughed and started another thought. "Oh… you were kidding. Sometimes I forget that you have a sense of humor." Amy laughed in response.

"Yeah, and sometimes _I _forget that… that you… uh…" Amy paused for a moment. "Okay, that died." Link nodded in agreement. He grinned and shook his head. Surprisingly, this moment between them was not awkward, but accepting and the two came to a silent understanding.

The rest of the trip up the long steps was quite comfortable, though silent save for a comment or two from Navi.

"What is it with the Gorons and incessantly long pathways that circle around a tall freaking mountain?"

"They like their exercise…" Amy replied sarcastically. Navi bought it.

"Oh, well I was wondering when those round little buggers would go on a diet or something." She squeaked. Link and Amy exchanged a roguish grin as they reached the last of the steps. Despite the extreme cold, the two were sweating from the hike. Amy sat abruptly on the final step, making Link stop as well.

"Let's just rest a second." She said, to urge Link to take a break, but he was unused to stopping for anything. "Where are we going anyway? Do you know what room that is?"

"That was the boss' room. I'm sure there are probably windows in it now, I saw them from outside. So we can climb out one of those to the top of the temple and get that stupid plant." Link said as he sat next to her. Relief and soreness flooded his tired feet, he never realized how hard he had worked them until he finally let them rest, which is probably why he rarely rested them.

"So, you come here often?" Amy asked in a semi-serious manner. Link laughed.

"No, only once, about seven years ago, as I'm sure you've heard."

"You went to all these places then? What were you doing?"

"That's a long story, but the gist of it is that this mangy little skull kid stole a cursed mask, and I had to call the giant's spirits to stop him… there were a lot of stupid masks I had to collect too."

"Masks? I can't see you wearing a mask."

Link scratched his head, the amused smile still lit his face.

"Yeah, I was a kid then, but the masks of course had a use… I wasn't going to wear a mask unless I had a good reason."

"Suure…" Amy rolled her eyes. Link sent her a glaring smile.

"They were good reasons. There were three masks I had that could turn me into another race. One made me Zora, one made me a Goron, and one made me a Deku."

"You made that up." Amy retorted. Her nose wrinkled as she playfully kicked his foot. Link kicked her back.

"Why would I make something like that up? Have you ever known me for my creativity?" He replied. Navi nodded.

"He's right…" She agreed. "Link never has been the most creative person, and he's a really bad liar." Amy spent a moment, scrutinizing his character.

"Yeah, I guess he could be telling the truth." She finally said with squinted eyes. Link narrowed his eyes and patronized her stare.

"Are you rested yet?" He asked. "This talking is making me tired." Amy grinned and nodded her head.

"I should try talking you to sleep some time."

"You already have…" He joked while getting up, heading towards the door before Amy could retort. She came up behind him just as he creaked open the grand, steel doors.

Sunlight hit them as they found themselves looking out of very large, grand windows. A balcony stood just outside, encircling the temple, and several doors were set into the stone walls, allowing one to reach it in various places.

"See," Link started. "I told you this was going to be a lot easier…" His words fell on deaf ears. Amy felt something suspicious in the air, and remained focused on the mysterious surroundings rather than her companion. However, her attention was brought back to him as she noticed Link was now balanced on the balcony's edge, getting ready to jump.

"Wait!" Amy exclaimed, running to his side. "Don't you need a safety or something? To save you if you fall?" Link stared at her curiously.

"A what?"

"A safety…" Amy replied hesitantly. She then commenced in rummaging through the bag at her side, pulling out a rope. "You know, just in case it's slippery up there; there isn't lava at the bottom of this pit." She said, attempting a joke. Link laughed lightly and took the rope.

"Okay, are you going to hold the other end or something?" He asked, tying his end to his belt. Amy shook her head and tied the other end to the remaining rock between the carved out window and doorway.

"This ought to hold you… I might be tempted to drop you on purpose." Amy smirked.

"Then I guess it's good that I'm probably not going to fall. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have work to do." Link replied to her snide humor and jumped just high enough to grip onto the edge of the stone roof that overhung the balcony. Amy watched as he disappeared out of her sight, the rope following him up.

She stepped back, the nervous feeling crept back upon her and she worriedly scrutinized her surroundings. The sunlight began to dampen, the sky appeared grey before her, and now the temple's inner rooms became black as night.

"Link!" Amy called, a knot had formed in her stomach. "It's getting dark, have you found it yet?"

"What? What are you talking about?" She heard him call back. "I'll be down when I get it, it's just hard to see it."

Navi burst out after he finished.

"Link! Here it is!" She squeaked joyfully. Amy sighed with relief, but she couldn't help but feel nervous as the area around her got darker still. The sound of Link's voice was her only comfort.

"I have to dig it up, it shouldn't take much longer." He called down, completely oblivious to Amy's paranoia occurring below him, but her fear was not falsely derived, for Fear was present, having waited patiently for them.

It was now black as night through Amy's eyes, she could see nothing, but she knew that there was someone, or something out there. She drew her sword and held it before her, though she knew not what her enemy was.

Meanwhile, Link finished unburying the root. The white thistle leaves gave an awkward touch to the purple radish base. Link laughed and put it in one of his packs while he quite contently stood back up. He became aware of the danger below as Amy let out a scream. He stiffened and called her name, walking back to the edge of the roof only to be jerked by the rope strung around his belt. A wicked laughter filled the air while he slid through the snow and off the rocky roof.

He gripped the edge of the balcony just as Amy let out another scream. Now he knew something was wrong. Link used his safety rope to hoist him back onto the balcony landing, Navi lit the darkness that had settled there.

"Amy, Where are you?" Link called out. She didn't answer, but a small bit of the darkness subsided within the boss' room. Link's eyes met those of Sakon, the smiling thief, but now he was not smiling, and Link could tell that he was certainly not Sakon.

"It's you…" Link said automatically, the shock of seeing this character there fell upon him. "Sakon?" He asked, knowing that it wouldn't be. There was no way that such a thief could have made it all the way up there, or that Sakon would even want to go to Snowhead.

The thief didn't answer. Their conversation was interrupted by another outburst by Amy.

"Link! I'm over here!" She called from the darkness. Link momentarily looked away from This new Sakon, which was just enough time for him to disappear back into the shadows.

"Navi, find Amy!" Link ordered the fairy as he drew the Black Sword. The dark, shining blade reacted to the artificial night. The shadows crept away from it when he held it before him, as if it obeyed his very whim. Link quickly caught on to this new ability, lashing out at the night to watch the darkness fade away. The laughter resumed as Link saw a shadow dart out of the lighted pathway made by the sword.

"Skull kid…" Link said curiously. Now he knew what was going on, for he remembered seeing skull kid with the general back at Clock Tower, and Sakon had been present in the cave with the evil beings. He understood that the presence of these two had everything to do with this dark power the old man had spoken of.

"Amy, It's Sakon and Skull Kid!" Link called out a warning. "I think they were sent by the Dark Power." He hoped that his calls would bring the attacker's attention away from Amy.

"You think correctly, for the most part…" Came a dark and sinister voice from behind him, his plan was working. Link abruptly turned to face the form of Sakon. He pulled up his sword and shield in defense only to be hit by the skull kid in a sneak attack. Link fell forward, at Fear's feet, hearing his dark voice above him.

"I'll take care of the girl, you manage with him." He ordered the skull kid. Link quickly pulled himself from the ground, reaching for Fear's feet but the beast quickly disappeared into the darkness and Link felt himself being pulled back by the skull kid. Link twisted, slinging the blade towards his attacker in an irritated gesture. The skull kid quickly blocked with a laugh. The clanging of his hard arms and Link's sword echoed throughout the stone hall along with the skull kid's laughter.

Navi had found Amy. She had curled up in a corner, shaking with fear of the unseen attacker, but she greatly welcomed the familiar light.

"Navi." She sighed, "I lost my sword… I don't know what happened, Sakon just knocked me to the side and I dropped it."

"Well hurry, we have to find it." Navi squeaked. "Come on!"

Amy nodded in agreement and stood to her feet. Shaking off the dreadful feeling that Fear had provoked, she and Navi began their search for her sword.

"Hey, over here!" Navi called out, her light shining over the blade. Another item reacted to the light, sparking a shimmering red in Navi's radiance. Amy's breath fell short, it couldn't be…

"The stone!" Amy called out. She reached out into the darkness, gripping at it, however, something else caught her hand as well. Dark red eyes began to glow in the darkness. Fear crouched before her. He had expected her to lose her wits when she caught sight of the stone, but he had not anticipated his effect to wear on her within Navi's presence.

Amy, though temporarily taken aback, wielded her sword with her free hand, thrashing at him as Navi revealed him entirely with her fairy light. Fear pulled back into the safety of his darkness while Amy placed her island's stone in her side bag. She held her sword in the guard position, but that would not stop the beast. He forced her against the stone wall in one vicious attack from the side. Neither Navi nor Amy were fast enough to spot him before this attack and Amy once more dropped her sword. Link and the skull kid could still be heard fighting in the distance while Amy could barely get out a sound as Fear pressed his borrowed limbs against her neck.

"You are a failure to your people, and to your friends." Fear hissed, pulling out her most dreaded thoughts. Amy struggled against his grip. Her nostrils flared as anger rushed through her; he irritated her with his antics.

"It is no use trying any more, you will only fail again." A tear streamed down her face, but she refused to give in to his poison. Her hands gripped his, as she pressed her fingernails into his flesh she let an anger boil through her, burning through her veins. It was a feeling unlike anything she had ever felt, and as she felt her breath failing, it grew.

Fear recoiled, a burning sensation had clouded him, but Amy held onto the hands of Sakon. The beast tried to retreat, but Amy held him tight, allowing the power inside her to grow and follow its own accord. It swelled within her, an ancient feeling that had always been present but was just now free from any restraint.

The darkness all retreated as Fear shrank, feeling his borrowed form failing. The form of Sakon was now on his knees, and Link could now clearly see them. With the cloud covering gone, the skull kid and Link had stopped their struggle to see the extraordinary sight.

Amy placed her hands upon the face of Sakon, Fear could be seen trying to escape from the burning form, but a white fiery light had formed around the beast. Amy's eyes shown bright, a flame had ignited within her as her power grew around her.

The beast, Fear, let out a deafening shriek just before the white fire sent him into oblivion. Skull kid, rattling from a fearful shiver, stepped back, quickly escaping before Link or Amy could notice him, but neither would take any more notice to the wretched child anyway. Link's eye's were glued to Amy and Sakon, or what was left of him. The man, still kneeling before the now dimming radiance of Amy, fell to the ground, smoke rose from his remaining being.

Amy became herself again, the emotion had left her and now she stood before the body of the former thief. She stepped back, fearful of what had just happened. Navi quickly returned to Link while he came forward, inspecting the scene with mouth agape and heart racing. Amy was also breathing heavily. She was light headed from both the strange power that had sparked within her and the event that had just occurred.

Link ran to Sakon's side, he had witnessed the demise of many powerful beings, but none of Sakon's confused, but rather harmless breed.

"He's still alive." Link said, relaxing momentarily. The wretched thief was still breathing with a sort of gasp or wheeze. His squinted eyes stared up at Link and Amy, they could both see that he was just a pitiful man now.

Sakon tensed in Link's arms. His eyes closed tight and then opened full vigor and black fire poured forth from his facial features. Link stepped back away from him, dropping the quickly incinerating body to the ground. Once he was gone, he could only see Amy in the corner, a hint of anger still in her eyes, but from what he did not know.

A blue light appeared behind them, and a familiar voice kept them from speaking with each other to soothe the moment, for this moment was not meant to be soothed.

"Well, well, what brings you to the mountains?" The old man asked. He hunched on his cane in front of the portal. Link cringed, and stood up rigidly.

"We were helping Anju, but we were attacked." He suddenly remembered the skull kid and briefly looked around, but he figured he would be no where in sight.

The old man smiled warmly.

"I thought that was an old _friend_ of yours." He laughed lightly, making both Amy and Link shudder, they didn't feel like laughter at a time like this. The old man quickly took a more serious tone.

"Do you know why Fear, the beast from your cave, had to remain in Sakon's body?"

Amy was the only one to shake her head, Link was barely listening.

"It is because Fear was unable to maintain a form outside of the caves where he was locked away, so, much like a parasite, he chose some unsuspecting victim to leech the life from. Oftentimes, we are just in the wrong place at the wrong time." He glanced at Amy, attempting to comfort her. She bowed her head. "And sometimes we're there, because we have done the wrong thing." She glanced up. "All in all, we deserve the fate we get in this world, whether it seems just or not for the time being."

Link had been somewhere else, his mind and heart in a race. He quickly looked back to the old man.

"What brings you here?" He asked irritably. The old man was silent, but not at all surprised. His expression went from the comforting smile he had given Amy to a stern and dignified visage.

"I wanted an exhilarating hike." His left eyebrow arched upon the last syllable, keeping a completely straight face through the whole statement. Link nodded stoically as Amy cracked a hesitant smile.

"Well, come now." The old man said, looking to the warp portal. "Time's a wasting, you had best go help poor Kafei." He stepped into the blue light. Link was surprised by his statement but followed him into the portal, staring at him curiously. Amy also followed and the three were able to leave the temple in a blue light; one with a lighter heart than the other, and the old man.

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**A/n: Please R&R, and tell us you're still with us… We feel so bad about leaving you guys hangin, it really means a lot that you all read it. THANK YOU!!!!**


	28. Together by Default

**A/n: Hey, thank you all for reading, and thank you for your concerns about my exam grades. I did well, the only ones I had to take were my AP classes (both math, I hate math). My sister is also doing much, much better if anyone was concerned. **

**On to business. I'm hopefully going to be faster at writing now that I've found I can write during school hours. A lot of my classes have a lot of down time, or study time that I've found I don't need, my test scores would prove that. So I've been printing off the last paragraph and hand-writing it during classes. It really helps. **

**Also, the next chapter should be up very soon, because I was actually going to have it be a part of this chapter, but this chapter began getting much too long (over 14 pages to be exact). So I found a good spot to break it which will make it much easier to read. Then I will finish the next one, well, thank you all so much for your reviews. We're really glad to hear you think it still has originality, we do try.

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**Chapter 28: Together by Default**

A light wind blew over Termina Fields, lightly caressing the two travelers, Aura and Damien. They rode astride a dark horse with a harness bearing the recognizable symbol of Romani Ranch. Aura held onto Damien who had insisted on steering the beast. Tatl, the little yellow fairy, hung above them.

"It was quite nice of those girls to let us borrow the horse." Aura said, making light conversation to ease the length of the journey. "Unlike those bigots, The Doorma- I mean, the Gorman brothers.. Whatever they call themselves…" Damien simply nodded, not really quite listening to her words. Aura smirked slightly.

"Yeah, I thought that one brother, Donald, was it? I thought he was pretty hot."

"That's good." Damien murmured, squinting his eyes to see which direction to go next. Aura continued to ramble stupidly.

"Yeah, you know, I wonder what it would be like if I married him? Aura Gorman? It has a nice ring to it." She couldn't help but let out a little chuckle, "Although, he probably has to beat those ladies off with a stick."

Damien said nothing. Aura paused, thinking of something else to say.

"You know, I heard that if you pass gas and burp at the same time, it creates a black hole in time."

There was silence. Aura snorted audibly, looking around them. There were many of those bomb-raccoon things running around. She thought she had heard somebody call them 'bummachews' or something.

"I think that I'm going to take one of those raccoon thingies with bombs on their tails, and make it my pet. I'll name it Damien jr. How does that sound? You'll be his godfather. It'll be amazing! You two will bond so easily!" She chortled, "You'll go to my and Donald's wedding, and you'll bring those lovely cakes that Anju made, and you'll even have balloons for us!" Aura was about to continue, but she realized that Damien was, in fact, listening to her; and she was now quite certain that he had probably been listening the whole time. He looked at her strangely, one dark eyebrow raised high above the other.

"If I fart and burp right now, will the black hole swallow you up?" Aura grinned cheekily, hiding the slight blush on her tanned skin.

"Not if Donald has anything to say about it." Damien allowed himself to smirk a little.

"I don't know. He didn't seem too keen on being interrupted while he was clipping his toe nails."

"Aw, he was just playing hard to get. I'm sure you've known girls like that." Aura said cheerfully. She grunted in surprise when she felt their horse speed up due to Damien spurring it, and then again as it proceeded to jump over a rather tall fence. She clutched to Damien instinctively, a little bit of adrenaline rushing through her veins.

"You can… let… go… now…" Damien choked out, crushed by Aura's hold around his waist. She eased her grip immediately, laughing embarrassedly. Both he and she were surprised by Aura's strength. They fell into silence as their horse trotted around the area. It was dusty and dry, and both of them immediately noticed that the air seemed slightly warmer.

"Great." Damien muttered, wiping sweat off of his brow, "The sun is beating down on us and the dust is sticking to my sweat!"

"Wow, you make Donald look like a Deku; there's nothing more attractive than a dusty, sweaty man with an irritable disposition."

"Hey," Damien snapped, glancing behind him. "I'm not _that _dusty yet…" Aura smirked once more at his comment as he pulled the horse up to a rock wall.

"We'll have to climb from here." He said, looking to some vines growing over the ledge. "We used to have a ladder here, but I don't think the wood would have lasted for a century… much less a few decades." He tied the horse to a metal post that happened to be nearby, leftover from an old fence, and then he turned to help her off the horse. Aura rolled her eyes and dismounted on the other side. Damien brushed this off with a wry grin and the two commenced in climbing up to Ikana Canyon.

Both were certainly nice and sweaty after a long climb in the hot sun, followed by a long hike up a shallow incline. They were relieved to find the river at the top of the hill. Damien glanced at Aura and decided to make a joke.

"I'd better go wash off. Based on what you said earlier, I'm scared you might jump me now."

"You could only hope." She said confidently and also went to wash in the river. After washing his hot face, he glanced back at Aura. She also washed her face and then scooped more water into her palms to wash off her shoulders and neck. Her darkened skin brought out some small freckles around her nose, giving character to her round face. She was adorably beautiful, but also noticeably independent with a clever and rough look to her dark eyes.

Aura suddenly noticed he was staring at her.

"Now I'm afraid you might jump me… do you find sweaty, smelly, and manly women attractive?" Aura said in a complete joke, but Damien nearly thought it was serious, breaking her gaze and running off on a tangent.

"Not at all. We're together by default, I mean, Arian ran after Naomi, of course, and Amy had to get Link that Ocarina, and she jumps at any chance she can to make his life miserable."

"But never boring…" She added on, in agreement with his statement while defending her friend. Damien continued on.

"So me taking you with me means that nothing absolutely _nothing,_ is occurring between us." He waited for her reply. Aura stood casually and came to pat him on the shoulder.

"Except for some light conversation with a side of sarcasm." She ended, walking towards the staircase they had exited when leaving the old man's house. "Say, I wonder if that weird guy is back up there… or those mummies…" She sighed. "Or maybe some candy… that'd be nice… why isn't it ever candy?"

Damien chuckled lightly as he stepped near her, ending his thought.

"But seriously, there is nothing between us."

"I know."

Damien was caught off guard by her succinct but casual response. One hundred years ago, he was the type that had to beat the women off with a stick, like Donald, but now he feared he must be getting rusty, or… _unattractive_. He couldn't possibly believe that Aura really didn't have any emotion for him, despite the fact he stated it continuously. There was certainly disappointment by her quick and unemotional agreement.

"Yeah…" Damien continued with an awkward laugh. Aura was ahead of him, going up the staircase. "That was a ridiculous thought, something between us."

Aura secretly rolled her eyes.

"Mm hmm," Aura nodded, "I would laugh, but I'm quite winded right now." Damien still couldn't believe it, she must be really good at sarcasm, or hiding her feelings he thought. Now, he must know.

"Of course, certain feelings can only be natural." Damien started, trying to catch up to her. Aura started to become irritated.

"Like passing gas…" Aura muttered in an attempt to lessen her irritation, but Damien failed to hear her and continued with his thought.

"After all, we're only human… and the opposite sex… traveling together to places unknown."

"I thought you knew this place." Aura glared at him while continuing to walk. She quickened her pace, hoping to get to their destination faster.

"Well _I_ do, but this place is still unknown to you, is it not?" Damien asked proudly. Aura sighed.

"Yes… yes it is…"

Damien swallowed his next remark referring to her _obviously _being _madly _in love with him and tried to remember his old home.

"Well, the castle was brilliant when I lived there. It was incredibly beautiful and colorful with thousands of people roaming about. But, I haven't seen it since I last walked this place, 1000 years ago. I did pass by here on my way to Clocktown, but I traveled during night and in a hurry to catch up with that _genius_ 'Hero of Time' of yours." Aura nodded, a little befuddled at his sarcastic comment towards Link, but then, this was Damien, so she shrugged it off. Tatl, however, was still caught on his comments of the castle.

"Are you sure we're talking about the same place?" Tatl squeaked, relieving Aura by distracting Damien. She could see the end of the stairs and grinned, not hearing Damien's last surprised statement that was cut off when they reached the top of the giant staircase.

Aura vaguely remembered Ikana Canyon from their last venture there, and recollected that most of the place was in ruins, granted she hadn't seen very much of it since the mummies had trapped them in the music box for the majority of their visit. However, there didn't appear to be much more to see. Large gates concealed most of the ancient palace that towered before them. The stone building that peeked above the eroding wall appeared as the dusty remains of a once grand kingdom.

Aura's companion was now silent. She glanced at him momentarily, a hint of sympathy fell upon her expression as she came to understand that the home he remembered no longer existed.

"Much has happened in 1000 years." She said softly. Damien didn't acknowledge her statement. He merely began trudging toward his wrecked city. His slow haul became a jog, and then a run as his thoughts raced with his heart; it couldn't be, how could it be, how could it have happened, and most importantly, _when_? He reached the large gates and stared up at the lock. A flash of memory pulled him from the present and drove him to the moment he had first said goodbye to his home. The gate had been sealed then, just as it was now, and the elders had taken him into the caves where they sealed Devoren and turned him to stone.

He abruptly came back to the present, after recalling how the gate had opened, and he awkwardly, but swiftly reached for his sword. Damien pulled forth the blade, allowing it to gleam in the sunlight. A reflection of the beam shined on the stone wall, alighting a hidden jewel in the center that blossomed with light amid the stone. The doors creaked open.

"Come on." Damien said as he swallowed a knot in the back of his throat. Aura followed obediently and silently until they reached the entrance to the palace itself.

"Damien, do you know what the root looks like? The one we're here looking for?" It was an important bit of information that Aura had nearly forgotten to ask, and she regretted not asking it in their long journey there, for she hated to bring back their business in the midst of Damien's emotional turmoil, but he seemed relieved by the change of topic.

He nodded, coming back into the present as Tatl twirled around his head.

"Yeah, I remember it used to grow in the throne room, or at least they always had some in there. It was very sweet smelling." He lowered his head and headed into the palace. His painful glance swept across a deep, but narrow trench that went under the ramp leading into the castle. This trench had once held water from the well, bringing life to the castle grounds, but now it was dried. With the absence of the life-giving water, it seemed that the rest of the castle had died as well.

Aura resisted the urge to place a comforting hand on his shoulder. She had never been in such a situation, but figured that the quicker they completed their mission, the faster Damien could leave this place she knew would haunt his dreams.

She quickened her pace and they both entered into the main room of the palace. This is when Aura froze, withdrawing her swords upon the sight of more gibdos, or creatures similar in appearance, but they were certainly not similar in manner. Instead of dragging themselves about in their horrific walk, or seeking out prey, these creatures were… dancing? Aura glanced at Damien, he too was horrified, but not in the way she was.

"They must have been the entertainers. The castle was always filled with dancers and people eager to amuse." Damien almost cracked a smile, but a tear was held back as he stared at what was once one of his people.

"Come on, it doesn't seem like they will harm us." Aura said, replacing her swords and taking Damien by the arm. She tugged lightly, then let go as she stepped ahead of him. Damien closed his eyes and looked to the floor before following behind his companion.

The grand doors had already been opened so the two were able to walk right into the throne room. When the second door rolled away, Damien stepped past Aura, walking into the chamber holding the empty throne. A thousand memories flooded his mind of how that place used to be so alive, but now it was empty and despairing.

"Where were the flowers?" Aura asked in a whisper. She didn't know why her voice got so low, but it felt right. Damien walked towards the throne and looked to either side.

"They used to keep them in pots on these iron fences." He said despairingly, looking from one side to the other at the empty fences. Aura nodded with a sigh.

"I suppose they don't keep them there anymore." She said while crossing her arms. Damien didn't say a word. He merely slumped onto one of the steps leading up to the throne. His head dropped toward his knees.

A voice belonging to neither Aura nor Tatl answered his actions.

"The young Damien, alive and well? How Ironic." It was a high and weasely voice that Damien instantly recognized.

"Snake?!" He jumped from his seat. Aura's face was pale as she faced something behind him. Damien turned to face his old acquaintance, Snake, or what was left of him. Snake was a mere floating head, a scrawny skeletal head that still wore the helmet he had fallen in.

Damien cocked his head to the side, staring at the thing. Snake laughed, another gruff voice joined his high bellows. Damien turned around to see yet another of his old companions.

"Heffler…" He said with a higher pitch as he fell to the ground, causing another uproar of laughter between the two skulls. Tatl piped in.

"Hey guys, remember me? What are you two still doing here, I thought my old companion had saved you?" The little fairy flew around the two heads, completely unafraid. Aura tried to crack a smile as well, but the whole situation still made her nervous.

Snake and Heffler did recognize the little fairy and gasped upon her association with Damien. They calmed themselves and the heads lowered themselves to Aura's level.

"Yes, yes he did… but that was from what the masked one had done to us. He had caused our souls to be restless and bicker between ourselves. So much so that we had forgotten why we were still here." Heffler replied. Damien looked from one to the other.

"Why are you still here, and what brought you here, like this?" He asked, slowly getting off the floor. There was a stirring of light upon the throne, the head of the king himself appeared, hovering over his ancient chair.

"A war, shortly after you were sealed as the guardian." The king responded. "A war between us and the Garo of Stone Tower, it was a petty feud that resulted in the end of us both."

Damien nodded sadly.

"I remember them… they were all about honor and dignity, so much so that it seemed as mere pride."

The king nodded a reply, "It was, and it clashed with our own pride, which started the whole petty feud." he added, speaking with Tatl. Damien stared at his feet a moment.

"Had I been here, would that have made a difference?" He asked sadly. Snake and Heffler broke his moment with more laughter.

"You Damien? You would have only added to the petty bickering had you been here to enchant our women." Snake laughed. Heffler turned to Snake.

"You mean _your_ woman, who never really liked you in the first place. My Pauline never strayed." Heffler scoffed. Snake growled.

"What are you talking about? Pauline was all over Damien just like every other woman of the court! Thank the giants we got rid of him when we did!" It slipped out of Snake's mouth. Damien's jaw dropped.

"What?" He growled, no longer affected by the fact he was speaking to the dead. The king jumped in.

"That was not the only reason we chose Damien!" He shouted to his soldiers. The two heads quivered. The king looked back to Damien whose expression of betrayal demanded an explanation.

"To be quite frank, dear Damien, the Hylian king and I did not expect the creature to escape." He admitted. Damien cocked his head to the side. "We placed you there merely as a safeguard. Just in case, but we knew that if the creature ever did escape, all the people of that time would need the history of that evil. We had faith in the growth of our peoples to be able to destroy whatever evil came, so long as they had the knowledge of it."

"But not and faith in me…" Damien said slowly.

"You were expendable at the time. A vote rang through from all the guards that it should be you, but now is not the time to dwell on that." The king replied. Damien's expression hardened into sheer anger, but he was silent and continued to listen to his king.

"The same pride that drove us to attempt to be rid of you was also our undoing. We have suffered greatly for it, and now I apologize to you…" The heads of the three bowed. Damien seemed unmoved.

"My companion and I have come here looking for the Ikana flower. The root of that plant is crucial to getting us back to Hyrule where we are going to organize an attack on the creature of evil." Damien said, his voice was now nearly a shout and his expression unchanging. The king nodded.

"When the Garos first attacked, they drained the well, the one that once brought life not only to the city beyond these walls, but also to the flower which you seek." The king explained. He too held a tone of dignity, but he did not react to Damien's disregard of his authority. "Go into the well, and you may find it still growing there, for it was not the sun or the earth that helped it grow, there was something hidden within the well that gave that plant life." Damien turned abruptly to leave, now with the given information, but the king had not finished.

"One more thing, Damien." The retreating soldier turned coldly. He cocked his eyebrow to show he acknowledged the king. "We remain here still, waiting for you. It is not of our own power, but of the one that defies this darkness that creeps over the lands. We had to remain as the living dead until we delivered this to you. What lies inside the well is a gift from the power of good, it is a weapon with which you can weaken evil incarnate. This is the only way you will be able to lock him away once more, and this time, for good. We were informed of it after we had sealed it and you away, by the being. This being seemed to know that the creature would escape from its holdings. We, however, in our pride did not believe that our work could be undone." The king explained. "The one in green did once come here and he has our ancient shield that reflects light into darkness, but the weapon we speak of lies above it, shining light from within itself. Retrieve the sword Sol Reprisal. It ought to reveal itself when you enter, for it will recognize the rite we had placed upon you when you were chosen as the guardian."

Damien nodded curtly, his expression softening a fraction. The intense anger he felt inside had died a little, but it was mostly replaced by shame of his past. His pride had been just as severe as the kingdom from which he came, and he had only cared about trivial things. Now he realized his mission and his duty; not for his own sake, but for thousands of others. Aura had remained silent the whole time, and she realized that none of the floating heads had acknowledged or even noticed her presence. It occurred to her that perhaps women back then had much less of a role in society.

"Goodbye, Damien." The King said as the two of them quickly made their way out of the throne room. Just before the doors closed, they could hear Snake and Heffler's low murmuring voices.

"Just like him to bring a woman along!" Snake's high-pitched voice cut in,

"After a thousand years, no less!"

"_How_ does he do it?"

Damien quickened his pace, slightly embarrassed while Aura held back an awkward laugh.

"Wow, I didn't even think they saw you, Aura!" Tatl's exceptionally loud voice, which seemed even louder due to the awkward silence, cut in. "Haha, and they probably though you were his _lover!_ Why of all th-"

"_THANK YOU, _Tatl" Aura butted in sharply. Turning to Damien deliberately, she continued. "Where did they say that root was again?" Damien looked at her, still feeling incredibly uncomfortable.

"Uh, the well." He muttered. He said nothing else and left her trailing behind his rapid pace.

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**A/n: Aura and Damien's adventure will continue in the next chapter, The Well! I hope that those of you who haven't played Majora's mask are not thrown off, we're trying to write it so that it comes off as a story that only has a few inside jokes on that game (we also hope that there aren't too many spoilers, if any at all). Well, please R&R, your comments are inspiring and very much appreciated. **


	29. The Well

**A/n: We're posting in less than one month's time!!! Whoo!!!! Party! We're so glad you guys are still reading, We can't believe how long this story is. Even we're having to re-read parts of it, most of the time we have to in order to keep plot gaps from forming. Lol, yup, it's nearly 200 pages long. I think this could actually be a book one day. Thank you all for being the first to read this story, keep us updated on how we're doing!**

**One more chapter before all are together again.

* * *

**

They hastened to the well on the far side of the castle grounds. Damien looked down into the darkness, realizing that they'd probably need a lantern of some sort. He looked up, seeing that some ancient torches still hung on the stone walls of the palace. They had once lit the grounds for late night celebrations, but now only stood to gather dust. Damien pulled it off the side, blowing out the middle portion and was relieved to find that there was still a wick intact.

"Come on." He said to Aura. These were his first words, which broke the long silence that had followed them from the castle. He strapped the unlit torch to his belt and gripped the first rail leading into the depths. Aura watched as he disappeared into the darkness, beginning her journey down when the only sign of his presence was the sound of his boots against the metal rails.

She heard his feet hit the ground and the striking of firestone. A red light allowed her to see him standing at the bottom.

"Hurry up." He ordered. No hint of irritation was in his voice, but it was also absent of its usual sarcastic tinge. Aura wasn't sure what to think as she jumped the short, remaining portion of the drop and turned to follow him.

The darkness gave way to the flickering light of the torch. Damien placed it in a clasp that had been bolted into the stone when both he and Aura could see that there was yet another light shining in the distance. The light of the fire met the new, white light upon the stone floor, just before the room holding the sacred sword revealed itself. A ladder dropped from the cave to the white, tiled floor. The shining light came from the ceiling, lighting the entire room.

As had been predicted, the weapon reacted to Damien's presence. The white light became blinding, and the two had to shield their eyes. Finally, the moment passed, and the light became bearable. Aura and Damien now stood before a glowing orb that floated amid the center of the room. The light radiating from it lit their surroundings just as before.

"What is it?" Aura asked in a mumble. Her lips were slightly parted and her eyes were wide with amazement. Damien was also in awe, he cocked his head to the side.

"This is the weapon…?" He said to himself, to help him think. Suddenly, an idea rushed upon him. He reached for his sword, unsheathing it slowly before pointing it at the glowing orb. The light suddenly grew outward from it, reaching for his sword. It enveloped the blade, Damien and Aura were motionless in awe. Damien could feel the blade changing in his grip, but neither could see through the shining light until it dimmed just enough to see the shimmering blade.

The light no longer filled the room, but just enough radiated from the newly made sword to form a circle around the two. Tatl's light also added to the light of the sword.

"Wow…" Aura said after a long silence of the two staring at the new and intricate blade, Sol Reprisal. Tatl added her thoughts.

"Man, if Link had gotten this thing instead of that stupid mirror shield, he probably would have been a lot better off because we had to find those stupid, useless light arrows to go through that annoying temple." The two stared at Tatl, neither of them knowing what she was talking about, and then decided to get back to business.

"Well, the next thing on the agenda seems to be to find that plant…" Aura said, looking at Damien. His demeanor had become slightly normalized, possibly as he realized his importance while holding this powerful weapon. Damien held the sword in front of them.

"Then come on, we can use the light of this as a torch." He said, pointing it toward the exit leading deeper into the caves. Aura shook her head, looking at how awkward this was going to appear. The idea of a glowing sword was quite new to her.

The two entered the caves, walking fairly slowly as they examined their surroundings. It was moist, water dripping from the cavern walls creating all sorts of stone formations, but there was no plant to be found as of yet. Aura was trying her best to search, but she couldn't help but keep looking at the sword that only seemed to glow in the dark.

"Okay, this is too weird." She finally said. "I'm mostly using Tatl to look for that plant thing anyway, and the long glowing sword is distracting me." Damien scoffed.

"Okay then…" He said, his sarcastic tinge was fully revitalized. "I will put it away and we'll use Tatl's light." He sheathed the sword, the area around them becoming much darker. Tatl flew before his eyes so he could faintly see the path. Aura growled.

"Well now I can't see a darn thing!" Damien looked up to the heavens in irritation.

"Just, take my hand." He said reaching back. After he clasped what fell into his grip, there was a short silence followed by Aura's biting tone.

"That's NOT my HAND…"

Damien's eyes widened and he pulled his hand to his side.

"Ummm…." An awkward silence followed and he reached for the sword. "I guess you'll just have to be distracted, because we're going to use the sword."

The light reappeared, lighting the path for both of them, and they continued in an awkward silence.

Unbeknownst to the both of them, two others had been watching them as they entered the well. Devoren and Jabono stood within the room where Sol Reprisal had been born.

"My daughter, she is with him… I must go after her." Jabono, the poor old man said worriedly. Devoren stopped him from pursuing his daughter.

"No, she is with the guardian who bears the weapon of my brother, the only one with the power to defy me." Devoren said through clenched teeth. This expression looked odd on Link's form, but it was evident that this being was only of darkness. Jabono, however, was still under the spell of obedience and occupied with the well-being of his only daughter. He began to cry.

"I should not have sent her after that slave boy…" He looked down, regretting his past. "What can we do? What can _I_ do?"

"We must separate them." Devoren replied. "I know this man." He let out a laugh after he said this. "I do wonder why they chose him as my guard. He is arrogant and self-centered, just like his people. He will not think of the well-being of another in a time of danger, not until after it has passed. We will make him run, and he will unknowingly leave her behind, then you can reclaim your beautiful daughter, but remember, her memory is still vanished from her." Jabono nodded, staring into the darkness his daughter had disappeared into.

Meanwhile, Aura and Damien were making their way deeper into the caves. Still, there was no sign of the plant, making Damien rather irritated. He growled and quickened his step, turning the clacking of his boots into more of a stomping sound. Aura noticed his change in manner and offered a suggestion.

"Why don't we stop and ask for directions?" She said with a shrug. Damien halted his desperate searching behind a rock, a dead-pan expression written across his face.

"From who, may I ask?"

"There seems to be a man standing over there, by another door." Aura replied good-naturedly. Damien was surprised to find that there did seem to be someone standing in the distance. It was a vague outline lit by the light of a torch. Damien cocked his head to the side.

"I-um… Come on…" He muttered, his mind was somewhere else as he walked towards the figure, Aura trailing behind him.

The two got closer, realizing much to their surprise that it was not a man, but what appeared to be a gibdo. Aura gasped and took a step back, while Damien continued towards it. The creature abruptly turned to face him, its wrappings loosely swaying with the motion. Now Aura and Damien could tell, that despite all appearances, this could not be a gibdo, for in its revealed eye, there was a hint of humanity. The creature stared at Damien and Sol Reprisal in hopeful fascination.

Much to both of their surprise, the creature spoke.

"Massster who wieldsss the sword to free usss." Came the muffled and deep voice. It was a dry sound, that barely seemed able to push itself out. The creature continued on a thought. "What isss it you ssseeeek."

Damien was frozen, shocked by the appearance and manner of the creature, for in his time there had been no such monsters. It was a harsh reminder of the remains of his people in the beginning of the Castle, a reminder that seemed to mute him. Aura quickly acknowledged this and came forward, speaking for Damien.

"He seeks the sweet-smelling flower that once grew in the court yard and throne room of Ikana Castle." The creature acknowledged her presence with a raspy breath and turned back to Damien. He seemed grateful that Aura had spoken for him.

The creature answered her plea. "What you seek liesss through thiss door… It isss across from the hot sspring. BE Cautiousss." the creature choked out. He then became rigid, looking up to the sky. Damien stepped back to Aura's side in a jump, shocked by this peculiar action. Suddenly, the ground below him welled up and he was quickly absorbed into the earth.

Damien and Aura were both breathing heavily. Seeing such a creature had made their hearts beat rapidly and blood run faster. Damien looked to Aura.

"Thank you, for answering. Next time I can assure you that I will be faster at forming words." He tried to play it off as if he had just forgotten what to say. Aura arched an eyebrow, doubtfully staring at him.

"I don't think that's the reason at all." She said before Damien could reach the door. He paused his hand and looked back to her suspiciously. Aura grinned.

"And what _do_ you think it is?" He asked with gritted teeth.

"I think you were afraid and upset." She said, leaning slightly forward with her arms across her chest. "Goodness, I would be too if I were in your situation, so it's nothing to be ashamed of, but just like your people you're going to let pride haunt you forever." She ended the conversation, turning her eyes to the door and brushing past Damien who was once more speechless. He acted as though he would say something, but stopped himself.

The king had admitted their pride being their downfall, and each horrific creature was proof of what such pride could do to you. For the first time in his life, he swallowed his pride, following behind Aura.

"Then, thank you…" He said, surprising her. "I admit that I was a bit… nervous." Aura smiled warmly.

"Well…" She began. "It's a start, and _I'm_ very proud of you." Damien smiled. He held the sword in front, lighting their new path.

"I would say ladies first, but I suppose I should go first into the unknown danger." He said. Aura laughed and Tatl agreed with him. She remembered parts of this well from her adventures with Link, seven years ago.

Many dangers did lurk ahead, but thanks to Tatl, they were able to avert many of them. From hanging spiders to booby traps consisting of eye symbols shooting flames, and rolling spikes, Aura and Damien felt as though they were traveling to the ends of the earth, or were trying to reach something other than a plant.

After yet another narrow escape, Aura and Damien took a breather near another door. Aura's hair was frizzed from the humidity, and both were sweating from their run.

"I have yet to see a hot spring…" Aura grumbled.

"It's gotta be somewhere." Damien said between breaths. He looked to Tatl.

"Do you remember where it is?" He asked the little fairy. She chimed, flying back to the rolling spikes they had just escaped from and went to another door that was hidden in the corner. Aura and Damien could see her light and the few things surrounding her.

"Actually," she finally said. "I think it's through that door behind you." Aura and Damien looked up, both were still fairly short of breath.

"You _think_?" Aura asked hesitantly. Tatl returned to them.

"Yea, I'm pretty sure." She answered. Aura and Damien then looked to each other, waiting another moment, then nodded, telling each other that it was time to get a move on.

Damien hopped to his feet and then quickly held out a hand to help Aura up. Aura grinned, remembering how he had tried to help her off the horse, but this time she felt the urge to take his assistance. He too smiled when he pulled her up.

"It seems I'm not the only one getting over my pride." Apparently Aura wasn't the only one who remembered the horse incident.

The door slid open and the three entered. Aura let out a nearly giddy laugh when her eyes beheld the hot spring they had been looking for, a torch alighted in the center of it upon their entrance.

"Thank the stars." She breathed out. Taking weary steps towards it. Damien gripped her shoulder, making her stop.

"Wait." He said quickly, examining their surroundings. "There seems to be some more traps leading to it." Aura suddenly noticed the two eye symbols that were bolted against the rock walls.

"Who created those accursed things!" Aura growled.

"My people did. They probably put them down here hoping to get the Garos, when those wretched spies drained the well." Damien replied. Aura took another deep breath.

"Okay then, what do we do?"

Damien thought for a moment, rubbing the bristle on his chin, and sheathed his sword. The torch's light was plenty enough for them both to see clearly.

"Well, the last one we ran into reacted to motion… and then it stopped momentarily. We'll just set them off with something." He picked up a couple of large stones, then hurtled them towards the pathway. The diamond-shaped rim surrounding the eyes turned red as a flame shot forth from slits that acted as the pupils. The stream of flames persisted for only a few seconds, then cut out. Damien grabbed Aura's arm instinctively and dashed across. The flames cut in behind them as a result of their motion, letting them catch a hot breeze to the rear. Damien fell forward into the hot spring, accidentally pulling Aura down with him. He released her from his grip and got to his knees as Tatl happily flew towards them, traveling above the trap.

Aura looked at her soaked self with a sense of humor.

"Next time you think I need to wash off, just say so." She said slyly. Damien laughed, ready to strike back when the sight of their treasure caught the corner of his eye.

"The flower!" He exclaimed, pulling himself from the spring. The flowered vines grew up the cavern walls, taking root from the spring itself.

"We need the root, right?" Aura asked. Damien nodded and began digging into the soft, wet soil.

"Got it." He said, pulling up several bulbs. He replaced a few, so the plant could continue thriving, but placed several into his bag. "Now our only challenge should be getting back out of this accursed well."

How fickle fate can be, for the moment just after these words escaped Damien's mouth, a great quake knocked them both back into the hot spring, and the ceiling leading back to the door collapsed, closing their old way in. Both were stunned, but while this escape closed, a new way opened behind the hot spring.

Damien had gotten up to pull on the fallen rocks as soon as their path had sealed itself, while Aura remained in her fallen position, breathing heavily out of shock.

"What was that?" She gasped. Damien turned rigidly, after forsaking his plan of clearing the large stones. He held out his hands to help Aura to her feet.

"I don't know…" He muttered, pulling her up beside him. "Are you okay?" He asked. Aura nodded her head.

"Just a little surprised, nothing to be worried about, but what we do need to worry about is whether or not that might happen again and if this way will lead us out." She said, looking to the new dark passageway. Damien glanced to it and then back to the fallen rocks.

"There's no way I can clear this, so if we're going to survive, we'll have to take a risk and go this way." He said after he swallowed. Aura sighed, her features exhibited intense, nervous anxiety. He patted her on the shoulder. "Don't worry. If we stick together, I'm sure we can find a way out." He offered her his hand once more, only this time it wasn't to help her up. "Either we both get out, or neither of us do." He said. She grinned and shook his hand, making a pact.

"I hope it's the first one." She replied. He laughed.

"Me too." He said. Tatl came out from Aura's hair, shivering from fear.

"I do too…" She squeaked.

"Well, come on. We won't find a way out just standing here." Damien drew the sword once more and held it before them, stepping over the fallen stones into the revealed hall. Aura followed closely behind him and Tatl floated close to her long ponytail, jerking at every sound and constantly on the watch for signs of another cave in.

What the members of this group did not know, was that they were walking into a trap, a beast awaiting them at the bottom of a pit.

The darkness seemed to gain a thickness as the two descended. A musty smell clouded the senses, making them both uncomfortable.

"How do we know where we're going?" Aura asked after coughing, a result of the smell.

"We don't…" Damien replied, his voice deep and nervous.

The light of the sword was failing to penetrate deep into the darkness that lay before them, but it was just enough to help them avoid pits or cracks that could catch their footing.

The musty smell grew nearly repulsive, both were covering their noses, evidently uncomfortable. It worsened with every step, making them both feel nauseous.

"What is that?!" Damien finally growled out when it became nearly unbearable. Aura's eyes were tearing, and both were coughing, too occupied with the vicious attack on their senses to hear the heavy breathing coming up behind them.

Tatl floated in a circle, she didn't smell what they were talking about, possibly due to her own fragrant and overpowering scent. Upon the end of her round, she stopped, taking notice to two, large, gleaming eyes that seemed to reflect the light of the sword, as did a cat's. She then also noticed the breathing.

"Guys…" She squeaked. Aura and Damien turned around upon their fairy friend's entreaty. Damien's eyes met the eyes of the unseen creature just before the light of his sword unveiled some more of the darkness.

A great snout seemed a shadowy outline, and large hooves were just barely within the circle of light. Aura gripped Damien's arm, both had temporarily forgotten about the smell, though it seemed they had found the source.

There was something peculiar about this beast, its breath was irregular, and raspy, much like the strange gibdo they had also met in the caves. Damien pointed the sword towards it. As if by command, Sol Reprisal grew brighter and revealed the remainder of the beast; the horrifying, dead, and rotting beast. Its temporary life was borrowed from something that was not its own, and it now stood before them in menacing horror. The musty smell had become repulsive, for it was revealed as rotten carrion.

The dead boar reared back, Aura clenched his arm tighter, spurring Damien into action. Since the boar was much larger than both of them, he turned and pulled himself and Aura to safety as the boar charged. He ducked behind a bend in the rocks, jerking Aura to his side. Tatl snuck near them.

"I'd call it a Carrion Poe. There seems to be a poe fused inside of the body, giving him this violent half-life." She said, fairies were known for their observational skills in times of crisis. "I believe his weak spot lies on his back, where the flesh has rotted away, revealing the spinal cord under which the poe is hiding." Damien nodded, figuring out what he needed to do. He jumped up on a rock ledge behind them, Aura standing as well.

"What are you doing?" She asked in a demanding tone.

"I'm going to stop this thing… Tatl, you stay with Aura to give her some light." Damien said and then took off before Aura could speak any objections.

Carrion poe had run straight into the rock wall, his tusks carving out large hunks of the cavern's side. Damien was sneaking to the spirited beast upon a ledge, but while his focus remained on his beastly objective, he misjudged his step. Rocks slid from beneath his boot, causing him to fall behind the possessed carcass. The carrion poe guided its form to line up for another charge toward the surprised Damien.

He stood slowly, not all together sure what had just happened while the boar reared back, the large tusks gleaming in the light of his sword that had fallen from his grip.

Carrion poe dashed forward, the hooves beating against the stone floor and the sharp ivory pointed towards Damien. The boy looked up just in time to see the gleam in the undead eyes, and in time to feel Aura drive into his side, forcing him out of the way with a hard tackle.

They rolled out of the way, catching a glean from the hoof. Aura got up with a moan, rubbing her arm that had seemed to take the most damage. Damien also pulled himself to his knees. The light of Tatl allowed them to just barely see each other, for the now lightless sword was lying in the main cavern.

"Thanks…" He said, he was quite a bit out of breath and feeling very foolish for thinking he could take on the beast himself. "Okay, we can't jump from the top to reach his back, so, what can we do to tackle _this _thing?" He said to Aura, she rolled her eyes at his wording but began brainstorming for an idea, until one suddenly fell upon her.

"After he charges, and hit's the wall, he stays put for a few moments, but we're always too busy dodging him to take advantage of that short pause. If one of us got him to charge while the other one waited to pounce, then we might be able to bring him down before he brings this whole cave down." Aura said as she noted how the cracks in the walls were slowly traveling towards the ceiling.

"Okay…" Damien said, looking around the corner of their new hiding place to see the carrion boar searching for its prey. "Who is going to be the bait?"

"Well, since you have the glowing sword that he seems to be attached to, you can be the bait, just get him to charge and get out of the way. I'll jump on his back once he hit's the wall over there." Aura pointed to the far side, informing Damien that he would need to line himself up with that wall and find a quick getaway. He nodded, after forming a plan of his own.

"Ready?" She asked.

"Ready as ever." He replied. She put a hand on his shoulder. He mistakenly thought it was an act of support, but soon realized that it was a hand meant to push him into action.

"Go!" She ordered as she dashed across the gap. The Carrion poe turned to face Damien who, after reclaiming his sword with the help of Tatl's light, tried to line it up with their strategic wall.

The poe reared again, and took off towards Damien, he ran back and then flung himself out of the way, banging into some rocks, but saving himself worse pains.

Carrion poe beat himself against the wall once more, the strong tusks were unaffected by the hard hit, held together by the stronger poe. Within the pause, Aura, who had pulled out a scarf to cover her nose and mouth, jumped upon the rotting beasts back. She grimaced as her feet fell onto the soft flesh and gagged when her hands accidentally tore some flesh off when she reached for a good hold. Finally she was able to grip a rib bone, which didn't make her feel any less disgusted, but it meant she could safely get down to business. One of her curved swords was already in her hand, and when her eyes, though tearing from the rancid smell, were able to spot the beating heart of the poe, she delved her blade deep into it.

The beast had already turned to face Damien again, who had once more stepped into the large pathway. It started to charge, but as Aura plunged her sword into the poe, it pulled back due to something that was not quite pain, but evident that it was beginning to weaken.

After a few stumbling steps, the carrion poe was back on track. Aura retracted her sword and stabbed again, with similar results. The boar came nearer to Damien who had a flash of nervous thought. Tatl was above him.

"When it hit's the wall she'll be thrown into the rocks in front of it!" He exclaimed. Tatl shivered.

"With the force of its running, deku knows what could happen." Tatl agreed. Damien swallowed nervously and watched the boar near him. Her sword was not destroying it fast enough. He came up with a plan.

Damien pulled out a rope, placing it around his left side so it would be easily reached, and held his sword in his right.

"Get out of the way!" Aura screamed from atop the beast when she saw Damien was keeping his ground. She stabbed the poe again and the beast swerved off course, which was exactly what Damien had anticipated.

Just as the creature passed the Ikanyan, he jumped to its back, gripping the rib cage near Aura and slung himself up behind her.

"What are you doing?" She asked in frustration of her changing plan. Damien wrapped one arm around her and brought his sword to the front with the other.

"Hold this." He asked eloquently. Aura replaced her sword and took Sol Reprisal while Damien used his free hand to pull out the rope, however, the task became difficult as they were plunged into darkness save for the glowing of the poe inside the beast.

The creature had swerved into a larger cavern, but neither rider was sure how long it would be before the creature impacted whatever lie before it. Already it was breaking through various small rock formations, causing a jolt for the riders.

"What happened?" Damien asked angrily, referring to the new darkness. He gripped the sword and handed Aura the rope. The light returned to the blade upon his touch.

"I don't know." Aura growled back to Damien. He ignored her snapping tone, the anxiety of riding the great beast made him focus on the situation at hand.

"Tie the rope around us both, hurry." Aura also didn't feel the need to argue or protest and immediately tied the rope around their waists while Damien wrapped his arm around her for support.

"What now?" She asked as she realized they were nearing a rather steep drop off, the light from Sol Reprisal had grown to light the entire cavern.

"This." He replied, grabbing the looped end of the rope and plunging the sword into the poe's heart.

Carrion poe let out a final shriek and the two could feel the matter decomposing beneath them. Damien was just barely able to gain enough balance to lasso a stalactite, jerking them both from the beast just as it went over the edge. Aura and Damien were saved from falling into the abyss by the rope, but nothing could have prevented the following chain of events. The skeleton of the boar still carried much weight with it as it drove into the cavern sides one final time, bringing just enough force to shake the entire cave, cracks fissuring throughout the cavern's infrastructure.

Aura and Damien pulled themselves out of the chasm just as several rocks began crumbling down from the ceiling. Tatl came to their aid.

"The cavern's coming down!" She screamed. Their hearts began beating faster as the two looked for a way out. A large portion of the cave collapsed before them, sunlight coming in.

"It's a way out!" Damien yelled with a laugh and began running towards it. Aura followed behind, but she heard someone call out a name.

"Laura!" A familiar voice echoed above the roar of the falling stone. Aura stopped abruptly, a shiver ran down her spine, while Damien continued to run, thinking that she was still behind him.

Aura looked across the great chasm and thought she could just barely see someone standing in the distance. An almost dream-like state fell upon her and she forgot where she was, vague memories returning to her mind. However, she was shocked back into reality, Damien had come back for her.

"Aura, come on!" He shouted, pulling on her, but she was still in a stupor. "I'll get you out of here." He lifted her upon his shoulder and bolted for their only exit, clumsily climbing up several fallen stones toward the sunlight. Aura watched the remainder of the cave collapse on itself, the distant figure had disappeared.

Damien threw her to the ground, the chaos was behind them in a cloud of dust. He looked out to see where they had surfaced, and found that they were only a few feet away from the town's old well, but most of the ground around it had fallen under. He went back to Aura's side.

"Aura, are you alright? Did the smell make you nauseous, or drug you?" Damien asked, for he did find that the boar's stench had made him slightly lightheaded, but Aura shook her head.

"I thought I saw my father… or, had a memory of him…" She said. Aura took to rubbing her temples, trying to remember, but only a few vague memories came up. Damien grew a bit nervous, remembering what Arian had told him about Aura that night at Stock Pot Inn. "I think my name is… Laura…" He decided to play it off cool.

"So I basically add an 'L' to what we've been calling you? I didn't know you didn't know your name? What have we been calling you? Did you only half-remember your name?" Damien asked.

"No, Naomi gave me the name Aura, after what is carved into my swords. It's possible that that is the reason I was given them. 'Aurum' means golden, that I know… maybe my father made them for me, fashioned after my name."

"It's possible…" Damien said, he sat down next to her. "Did you remember anything else?" Aura, or Laura, shook her head sorrowfully. Damien smiled. "Is it alright if we still call you Aura… I've grown so fond of calling you that." Aura looked at him strangely.

"Uh- sure…?" She wasn't sure what made her more uncomfortable, the fact that she had grown accustomed to this new name, or that fact that Damien had grown 'fond' of it. Either way, our original nameless now has two names, but she chose to remain Aura.

Aura got to her feet and turned to hold out a hand to Damien. He laughed and took her aid.

"Let's go back to clock town. I'm sure the others would be heading there as well."

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**A/n: So, you guys like this? What do you think will make Aura remember everything? Please R&R!**


	30. Revival and Renewal

**Okay, it's been way over a month, but we have a really good excuse this time, as is explained in the next posting which isn't really a chapter, or it won't be until we take it off and post a real chapter. The next posting will be of all the plot holes we found, and they're all doozies. Rather amusing actually. **

**LectaElf: We certainly did take our time, but hopefully our fill ins were worth it, and we're glad you like the pairing of Aura and Damien, they are rather odd together, adding some humor, and they may or may not be together even at the end of the story, gasp! We'll let you find out in time. And, your theories on Aura will be proved true of false in approximately two more chapters. Thank you for your wonderful reviews, action scenes are hard to write, we're so glad that that one was able to keep your interest, it means we're getting better.**

**Bluenavydragon: We're glad you think it's cool, and you will certainly see lots more, if you can wait that long… lol. (making fun of how long it takes us to post).**

**Kuchiku: Thank you for your continued reviews and the wonderful encouragement. **

**Fanfic-Lover: Referring to what you wrote on chapter 27, we glad Amy had you fooled, you kinda felt what Link felt- 'what? This can't be happening', which hopefully also allowed you to sympathize with him when he pushed her back in. Lol, so glad you are reviewing though, everything and anything makes us feel great. **

**Crimson-88: If you see any more plot gaps other than the ones in the next posting PLEASE help us out. Your eye has been wonderful and very helpful. We are very glad that you enjoy the story despite that and hope that our future work will continue to be pleasing. **

**Laura Jella: I'm still waiting for you to run to my house….**

**Anyway, thank you all for reviewing. All Chapter that do not have a Chapter # at the top are ones that we have not re-posted with this one. It just means we haven't read over them for grammar mistakes etc. again. Okay, here it is, though you may want to read through the plot gaps before this, since it starts with information from the corrected version of one--sorry!

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**Chapter 30: Revival and Renewal**

Skull kid shuddered as he stood before his master within the fortress of the Pirates. Aveil had joined their company, and stood near Jabono with a similar curse laid over her eyes. Devoren, still in Link's form, had done what he could to change his appearance. His clothes were now armor and his hair now as black as his heart. His very presence could petrify you, which was why skull kid did not want to present the terrible news to him, but it appeared that his master already knew.

"Fear, my pet Vereor, has been defeated." Devoren stated with arms crossed. "For now." Skull kid couldn't believe that he knew, but was slightly relieved that he didn't have to bring this disappointing news.

"The idiot Gaft has also failed." Devoren's tone grew darker. "I suppose I should have expected that, but Vereor has never failed me before. We must have underestimated them." Jabono, still being the worried old man, spoke outright.

"What of my daughter? She is still with them, is there no way to separate them now?"

"Silence!" Devoren snapped in frustrated fury. Jabono did as he was told. "I have already begun to separate them. Vereor worked his magic on the one already corrupted by the Dark Sword." He laughed, musing to himself. "The key that locked my cell for one thousand years became inscribed with my magic, it now poisons the one who bears it. That was just a precaution I conjured while trapped, one that turned out to be a necessity, since there doesn't seem to be any reliable subjects around anymore." He finished with clinched teeth.

"However, this time I will not come unprepared. I will slowly weaken their defenses and surround them, then attack with a might they have never known." Devoren was almost speaking to himself now, he walked out through the doors of Aveil's chamber, his new throne room. Now, resting within the belly of the fortress, were great beasts, dragons. Devoren looked back to Jabono.

"While you were failing to get your daughter yourself, I was busy finding these creatures. It appears Sakon the man was more useful than we thought. By stealing their precious stone he incurred the worry of the modern Draconians, dragon riders, who I caught searching for their jewel." He explained to Aveil so she could admire his cleverness.

"We shall put them to good use, master." She bowed. Her loyalty pleased him while it made the small child behind them grow bitter.

"Dragons, where did he find them? I didn't see any dragons when I was out." Skull kid complained quietly to himself, but Devoren was able to hear his childish rants. With a wave of his hand, Devoren sent Skull kid crashing into several barrels within the chamber, Devoren stepped towards him again.

"Draconians can not be found by anyone who is not trained to spot them. Their dragons are intelligent, and can change colors to blend in with their surroundings. Had I not anticipated their search, I would not have found them, but now, thanks to my genius, we can add dragons to our army. Gaft was able to build a fairly nice one for me, and now I will create a real army." He turned back to Aveil, leaving skull kid in a whimpering pile. "You shall receive the honor of taking these beasts back to their island, where there ought to be more. I want you to destroy their homeland, kill everyone in sight, and take all dragons you can catch." Aveil nodded and gave him a salute as she and her pirates formed ranks. The dragons were all still, a black stone was placed within the center of their foreheads, darkening their color.

"And you." Devoren turned back to the Skull kid. "You failed me once, but you will not again. Go and fetch my loyal servant Vereor from the caves above Ikana Canyon."

"Wh-where master?" Skull kid had never been there before. Devoren rolled his eyes, searching the air surrounding him.

"Where is that accursed fairy when I need her…" He mumbled to himself. "Nit!" He called out hesitantly, not wanting to say that ridiculous name, but upon hearing her name, the little black fairy shyly came out from behind some pots on the shelf. Though she had been traveling with them, she had begun to hide herself, not wishing to face anymore abuse.

"Come here Nit, we have use for you…" Devoren said. This did not make the light-hearted fairy feel any better. "I want you to take Skull kid back to the caves. Find some other body for Vereor to take so that he may leave those spelled caverns, and do not return to me without him." Nit silently flew to Skull kid's side. The small scarecrow creature looked up to this little fairy, feeling some reminiscent comfort, and quickly headed out the door to their destination.

The dragons took flight, many pirates rode upon their backs, ready for battle as they headed to the unsuspecting island.

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The night was setting on the eve of the Festival of Time and, in the kitchen, Anju and the others waited rather impatiently for the arrival of Link. Amy and Aura sat with Damien at a table while Naomi and Arian sat together on a crate near a boiling pot of red liquid. Anju paced on the kitchen floor.

All sat in silence, glancing from one to the other, wanting to relate their individual adventures, but none wanted to break Anju's anxious quiet. The front door creaked open and Anju stopped her pacing. Link walked in with Tatl and Navi, looking a little more ragged then when he had left. He held up the final root, which appeared as a block of green and white, brown bark covered one side. It seemed the temple itself had been one enormous root to a very small plant.

"Sorry it took so long…" He said with some embarrassment as he looked to each of his companions. "the poison in the swamp brought a few complications… and made a few plants rather irritable." Tatl snorted as Navi chuckled.

"Yeah, he got eaten by a giant flower!" Navi screamed out as the two burst into laughter.

"You should've heard him scream!" Tatl added between her snorting laugh. Link glared at them after handing the root to Anju, who then let Naomi take care of the brew, considering she had proven to be more talented in the kitchen.

Naomi chopped the root up, as if it were some sort of vegetable to be added to a soup, and then added it to the red liquid. The new ingredient sizzled as it adjusted to the heat, leaking out juices that turned the concoction a violet color. It smelled strong, like onions and garlic, but it seemed bearable enough.

Naomi drew some up with a ladle and poured it into a bowl, setting it aside to cool. She stared at it with a sigh and turned back to Damien.

"Are you sure the instructions didn't say anything more?" she asked. "Like if we can or can't add salt, or let him take this with something that has a good taste? I feel terrible about making him take this straight, but I don't want to mess up the magic."

"All it says," Damien started in reply, fidgeting with the paper the old man had given them. "… is to brew it like a stew, something about how the power of the four masks had seeped into these herbs, giving them power. Therefore, the power of the four combined will have the ability to reverse that done by the one, Majora's Mask." He ended.

"Such strange tales." Amy shook her head. Everyone else seemed to agree while Link rolled his eyes and silently sat near Arian. Naomi heaved another sigh.

"Alright." She said. "It seems to be cool now, so tell him to come on in. We won't add anything. I don't want to take any chances, it would be awful to have to feed him this strong stuff on a full stomach." Anju nodded and went to fetch Kafei.

The boy came in hesitantly, for he had donned his adult garments that draped over his small body. He held up his pants with hands that were completely covered by his sleeves.

"Nobody laugh…" He said scornfully when he realized that everyone was staring at him. "Just give me the potion so I can get this over with." He ordered. Naomi handed him the bowl with a friendly smile. Kafei, holding it up with his covered hands after tucking his large pants under his arms, drank eagerly. He had to take a breath, during which he grimaced due to the strong taste, but he went back into drinking, closing his eyes and holding his nose. All watched in anticipation, Anju especially nervous.

There was a short moment when everyone doubted its success, after Kafei had finished his bowl and had set it down on the counter, but suddenly there was a small burp that seemed to set off the reaction.

Kafei began to grow, his arms filling the sleeves and waist filling the leggings. The childish sparkle remained in his eyes, but his face grew stronger, more adult features. He was a man again, and stared in disbelief at his arms and hands, looking up to the overjoyed Anju with a laugh. She returned his laugh and ran to his arms. Everyone grew a small smile and Amy was the first to decide that it would be a good time to leave the room. Damien and Aura followed her, and soon followed the others. Tatl flew close to Link's ear as they exited.

"I remember when you helped them the first time, they looked just like a mother and son… Now they truly look like a happy couple." She whispered. Link's smile grew larger as he drifted into thought.

The girls ran upstairs to get ready for the festival.

Naomi sat in a chair, after donning a beautiful dress and powdering her already pale face, and began working on a mask. Aura was busy pinning up Amy's hair when she noticed Naomi's odd behavior.

"What are you doing?" She asked curiously. Naomi looked up from pinning ribbons to the bottom of her moon's mask.

"Anju told me that everyone made a mask for this festival, and I thought it'd be fun. I told Arian about it too, but I highly doubt he made one."

"That reminds me." Amy laughed. "Link said he used to wear all kinds of masks when he was little, can you imagine him wearing a mask?!"

"So you guys actually talked on your journey?" Aura shook her head.

"Well, on the way the way there. He seemed a lot quieter on the way back… I wonder if he's angry."

"Why would he be angry?" Naomi asked, holding her mask up to her face, making a comical appearance. Amy grinned.

"He seemed rather upset… um…" Amy suddenly realized that she ought to explain the story, or at least give a brief summary. Aura and Naomi listened intently. Amy was then able to finish her previous thought.

"I think he was upset about Sakon's death… I didn't kill him, but he did attack me. I don't know what happened actually, but I know that all I was trying to do was defend myself. Link has been cold ever since." Naomi shrugged.

"Well, I know that Arian and I took care of the General that Link had spoken about. He attacked us and killed Gangor, so I have no regrets." She said with a strange twist of anger and intense sorrow. Aura looked from one sad face to another.

"Well, we took care of something that was already dead." She said, trying to add humor to their conversation. "This poe infested a giant, dead boar that attacked me and Damien, and Damien killed it with this new sword that gives off light… it kinda creeped me out."

"He got a new sword?" Naomi asked conversationally, switching out of her melancholy.

As Aura began explaining, Damien was busy showing the other guys his new sword. He held out Sol Reprisal.

"Apparently this is meant to weaken the evil incarnate, and your sword is meant to seal it." He said to Link. The Hylian nodded and examined the new weapon with much interest. Arian looked up from his project and then busily went back to work. Damien and Link took notice of his peculiar behavior.

"What are you doing?" Damien asked. He arched a brow. Arian looked back up with an innocent expression.

"I'm um…" He held up his work. "Making a mask…" There was an awkward silence. Link and Damien shared a confused glance, looking to the other in hopes that he would know more, but both were befuddled.

"It's Naomi's idea…" Arian said with a shrug and set it down on the bedside table. Damien's brow was still arched in unbelieving reproach. Link, however, nodded his head, rubbing his chin as he delved into his memories.

"Yes, I remember that this festival is known for its masks. It's kind of an obsession they have. I think I'll just buy one if I want to fit in, but good for you Arian, maybe you could sell it before we leave." He suggested. Arian looked up in dismay.

"No! I mean… I think Naomi might want it." The boy quickly responded. Link grinned.

"Naomi's making one too, isn't she?"

"Yes…" Arian sighed, looking down to his chest. Link glanced at Damien with a mischievous look.

"You know what that means, right, making masks for each other?" He asked Arian. The boy looked to both of them.

"Anju told Naomi that… it's, um… a festival thing?" He replied. Link grinned, but remained silent. Damien had no idea what was going on, but he could tell that Link knew something that Arian didn't.

"What?" Arian finally asked. Link didn't respond, instead he changed the subject.

"So, you do realize the festival lasts all night, right?" He asked.

"You are going to have some beastly problems, aren't you?…" Damien added. Arian shook his head, changing his train of thought.

"Oh, um, yeah." He began pulling some clothes out from under the bed. "I can wear these gauntlets and big boots along with a cape and mask. I even have this hat!"

"You know…" Damien said. "The hat isn't necessary."

"I don't care, I like the hat." Arian put it on indignantly. Damien laughed as Arian adjusted the broadly brimmed hat.

"Where did you find this stuff?" He held up the cape.

"Some guy is letting me borrow it."

"Some guy?"

"I'm going to return it all." Arian put on the large boots. "I just need it to keep Aura, and basically everyone in town from finding out that I'm a monster." He finished dressing himself just as the moonlight peered into the window. Damien and Link watched him transform. Arian smiled at them after checking to make sure his claws didn't force themselves through his gauntlets or boots. He put on his mask. "See, perfectly concealed." Damien laughed.

"I can't let you do this…" He shook his head. Arian shrugged.

"I have no choice." The boy answered. "If I want to join you guys, I must dress up." Damien smirked and rolled his eyes.

"Won't the girls be a little suspicious that you are the only one out of us three that dressed out?" The Ikanyan asked. The yellow mask continued to smile blankly while Arian's mannerisms exhibited the fact that he was thinking.

"You guys can dress up too." He answered. Damien laughed harder, grabbing his gut.

"You can't be serious."

Arian crossed his arms and while tapping his foot said, "Do I look serious?" The mask continued to smile. Damien and Link were both very amused.

"Okay," Damien said in between his breathy laugh, much to everyone's surprise. "But mind you, you'll owe me."

"Thank you?" Arian replied through his mask.

The girls were waiting downstairs, all dressed for the celebration. Naomi was particularly excited since Lulu had said she would be there with a special surprise for her.

Amy and Aura wore half masks, made at the last minute, while Naomi merely held her finished mask. She eyed the other girls nervously and looked back to her mask, wondering if Arian was going to be able to make it, since he did have an issue that he didn't want the others to discover, but just before her worries could truly blossom, the boys made their way down the stairs.

"Sorry, ladies." Damien said from behind a mask. "We didn't realize that this was a dressy occasion." He too had gotten a cape and made quite an entrance with it. Aura laughed and crossed her arms. Arian followed behind him and held a flower out to Naomi.

"For you." He said, Naomi blushed and accepted it as she took his hand. She looked at his mask, knowing that the beast was hiding behind it. Link came down last, he had donned the Keaton mask, which caused Amy to choke on her own spit. Aura and Naomi were also rather shocked, but smiled at the tone set for the night.

Kafei and Anju also made an entrance, wearing the masks they had swapped at their wedding.

"Where to first?" Naomi asked Anju, who she assumed would be accustomed to the practices of this festival.

"It is nearly midnight on the eve of the festival, the top of clock tower should be opening soon, and the festival activities will begin. Let's go and wait for the fireworks!"

The group made their way out, joining a throng of townspeople gathered in South Clock Town. A thousand stars lit the night sky just before a birth of fireworks flashed before everyone's eyes. There was a small moon, new to the night sky, for Link had been forced to destroy their original moon a long time ago, but that is another story all together (one that Link actually did not look very fondly on.)

As the Clock Tower opened with the beginning of the festival, Arian and Naomi, who had taken a spot near the outer edge of the crowd, looked about to see many couples sharing a loving moment. Naomi looked up at Arian's smiling mask with a blush, and he could tell what she was thinking by the look in her eyes. Arian heaved a big sigh.

"I do long to kiss you now, if only I could remove this stupid mask." He said, pulling her closer. Naomi looked up at his broad hat with a grin. She grabbed the brim.

"Maybe you can…" She said slyly, pulling the hat down to block them from the view of the crowd. He quickly removed his mask, keeping it in his hand as he wrapped his arm around her. He met the sweet caress of her lips.

Amy and Aura held sweet deku-seeds on a stick, looking back to see a large hat blocking their friends' faces. Aura looked to Amy with a laugh.

"Gee, I wonder who's sharing a moment back there." She said sarcastically. Amy laughed and blushed red when she saw Arian's hand run over Naomi's back. She quickly looked away and broke into hysterical laughter.

The moment continued until a member of the crowd took notice of the hat, instantly recognizing it. It was a tall, lean man who had been clamped around one young woman until he went to seize his belonging. Naomi and Arian felt the pull of the hat, being torn back into the present reality. As their cover was nicked, Arian looked into Naomi's shoulder just as she shoved her own mask on his fanged face.

The angry man took a glance at the two and went very quickly from reddened fury to smiling jovially. He stopped amid his bantering claims and went into a wonderful gasp, turning quickly to the crowd to announce his findings.

"Here is a couple to be wed tomorrow!!!" He proclaimed, turning back to the very surprised Arian and Naomi. The crowd cheered in response and the man proudly brought the two onto the Clock Tower steps while Arian secured the mask. Naomi stole the yellow mask from the boy's grip and covered her embarrassed face while Aura spit Lon Lon milk across the table upon seeing Arian and Naomi standing in front of the town. Their four friends stared with some embarrassment and mouth agape, watching the scene play out before their eyes.

"Is that what swapping masks means?" Damien asked Link, who had been forced to close his eyes due to the uneasiness about the situation. He nodded in reply while Damien mused over it.

"Well, don't they make the cutest little couple." He laughed. "We ought to buy them a wedding present."

"They would kill you." Aura laughed, coming to pull Damien's arm. "Come on, let's go save them from this. Tell the crowd that we have wedding shopping to do or something."

"Alright, so long as Arian knows that I'm the first man." He joked again. They disappeared into the joyful crowd, making their way up to the tower.

Amy still sat at the table she and Aura had shared and looked to Link who was still leaning on a wooden rail surrounding the small patio. It had been built specially for the festival in the back of the market square.

Link was now holding his Keaton's mask, having removed it after the first few comments. Navi and Tatl danced above his head, and enjoyed the other lights within the festival. It was then that Link decided to leave the crowded area, to view it from a more secluded spot, on top of the Stock Pot Inn. Amy, not wanting to be left alone, hesitantly followed with high hopes that his strange coldness had left him.

Though it had, momentarily, there was still something about him that felt strange, even to Link. He had been rather upset that a man had been killed under his watch. Never had that happened before, and now he wasn't sure what to think of Amy. Link had destroyed Ganon, but Ganon was no longer a man when that happened, he had become a beast, but Sakon was left as a pathetic, little man, one whom Amy had destroyed with some strange, destructive power.

Link reasoned with himself as he silently made his way to the top of Stock Pot Inn. He wondered why he held a fear of Amy, when Arian also had a mysterious power, or curse depending upon how you looked at it. Link obviously didn't fear Arian, but Amy's destructive power seemed to disturb Link far more than Arian's wolf-like characteristics and capabilities. Still, it was more than this minor disturbed emotion. He had begun to feel a tumult of anger swell up inside him, a feeling he had only grasped momentarily when he struggled with his old enemy, Ganondorf. However, now it seemed to well up when Amy was near, which also disturbed him. He didn't understand why, but he also didn't want to go against his instincts, considering how they had saved his life on many occasions, but there was something wrong with the placement of this emotion.

He reached the top, finally. It had been a long climb, since it seemed Anju had built several more floors since his visit seven years ago. However, it had been worth it. Link found himself on a covered balcony, overlooking the town's beautiful festival. He had a clear view of the fireworks and the amazingly colorful festivities below, lit with glowing firelight.

Link was able to leave his disturbing thoughts momentarily to enjoy the scenery, until another member joined him and the fairies. Tatl, unaware of the complex between the two, quickly flew to Amy in a friendly greeting, telling her how beautiful it looked from the top and bringing her to Link's attention. He turned, seeing her and feeling his stomach drop and the confusing anger began to well up. He fought it, for his senses told him that she had done nothing deserving of such thoughts, but it seemed to be out of his control. Link silently turned to look back at the fireworks.

Amy noticed his strange behavior and silently approached his side. She felt as though she were approaching an untrained dragon. Training for such creatures begins at a very young age, before they comprehend speech. They are beasts that won't hesitate to attack when threatened, so any sudden movement could very well be your last, but once you gained the beast's trust by allowing it to come to you, it could become a friend for life. It seemed that way with Link. Her heart pounded with anxiety as if she were approaching a great and dangerous creature, but she also felt the allure to try and win him over, gain this valuable friend. Amy looked at Link, half expecting smoke to curl from his nostrils just as did the young dragons, but the only smoke was from the fireworks and Link's piercing blue eyes continued to stare into the distance.

A stiff silence remained between them, one that not even the fairies felt comfortable breaking. Amy bit her lip and tried to breathe regularly, making a quick glance over to Link who had turned his head away from her.

"A-are you still… angry?" She asked in a quiet voice. Link shuddered at the sound, but let out an answer.

"No." He continued to look away from her.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing… I'm just thinking about what I'll need to do next… to take care of Hyrule's new enemy." Link replied easily. He still had the cold tone, one that he couldn't seem to get rid of. Amy nodded, a relieved smile grew on her face, for now they had a topic to talk about.

"Ah yes, I think we should review what the old man said. He had some pretty important information concerning that guy, and we need to converse with Damien and figure out all the steps we need to take in order to get this evil…"

"Amy." Link suddenly became so frustrated by her babble. Her use of the word 'we' brought out an anger he didn't know he had. His mind shut off and something else took over.

"What is it?" Amy asked after the silence. Link suddenly turned to look at her. His brow creased and his anger came through in his eyes.

"We?" He asked. "What 'we?' You found your stone, so now you can leave." He asked coldly. His questions were more statements than answerable queries. Amy's mouth dropped, she was speechless. "I don't need your help. I've saved Hyrule once without your help, and I did it without killing any bystanders."

"He wasn't a bystander!" Amy finally choked out. Tears that she couldn't explain welled up in her eyes.

"You're right, he was just a pathetic man, obviously overshadowed by something. I've saved someone from that too, without killing them, you can't control yourself and who knows who it'll be next. Just go home."

Amy felt smaller than she had ever felt before. She looked to her feet, allowing a moment for her to think things through. Tatl and Navi huddled near each other, away from the feuding two.

"You're right…" Amy said finally. Link's stern face showed no sign of change or surprise. He merely stared at her, or through her. "I'll leave…" She walked to the door, heading back to their room. Link watched her leave. Navi and Tatl both whimpered quietly, their wings drooped in sorrow. Navi flew closer to Link.

"What's wrong Link?" She asked. Link breathed out, his anger was slowly fleeing him.

"Nothing…" He looked back to the festival.

"Nothing?" Tatl came in, daringly hovering near his head. "You were more cross to her than you ever were with me, and I deserved it!"

Link didn't say anything. He looked down, and put his Keaton mask back on.

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**A/n: Thank you all for your patience. The next posting is a listing of all the plot holes we changed and the chapters they are in (we also corrected some grammar, but there are probably plenty more of those mistakes, I catch another one every time I read through this story.) Anyway, please review so that we know you are still with us.**

**And yes, this was a very sad chapter, but Link's issues will be explained and resolved very soon.**


	31. An Unexpected Goodbye

**A/n: This chapter is by far the saddest one, and the shortest. We know Link is acting really strange, and unlike himself-- hint, part of the plot.**

**The next two chapters are completely planned out. The next one will end with hope, and the one after that will be happy, but that is all we are saying. We hope you can bear with us and the sadness until then, but honestly, it just wouldn't be as good as a story if we didn't add in some realistic issues-- such as pain. Good thing humor is also a realistic issue.**

**We took down the corrective chapter, hopefully everyone read through that. If you need us to post it again, just ask.**

**Lectaelf- thank you for your reviews, and yes, Link is getting aggravating, but there is a reason, and you will still love this hero by the end of the story, we promise. And yes, we understand that there are lives outside of fan fiction, we would be worried about you if you didn't. However, we are very grateful that you can find time to read the story, and we can honestly say that we're very happy that we can find time to write it. **

**Here is the story.

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**Chapter 31: Unexpected Goodbye**

The festival party had moved to the Milk Bar where several performances by a group known as the Gorman Troupe dazzled them all. Damien and Aura had instantly recognized the name. Apparently, the brother of the Gormans from the horse farm owned a traveling circus that performed every year at the festival, a tradition that had begun seven years ago.

Aura held up her glass of milk to pass through a crowd on her way to Naomi, Arian, and Damien at the barstools. She joined her friends with a gleeful laugh.

"You know, Donald has nothing on this guy!" Aura joked despite the fact the two looked identical. Though all of her friends laughed, Damien was the only one who laughed with the knowledge of her joke's origin.

"Tell me, is it the long, curly mustache, or the comb over that does it for you?" Damien asked jokingly. "I can do mustache, but I'd rather keep the hair on my head." He patted his dark curls. Aura smirked.

"Naw, I like you scruffy."

"Scruffy?" Damien asked, not entirely sure whether or not she was being serious.

"Scruffy." Aura confirmed, and continued with a rather absurd statement. "With warts too." Damien hoped she was kidding, but her tone made it hard to tell, however, his fears were relinquished with Naomi's addition to Aura's joke.

"Ah, yes. One right in the middle of his forehead." She placed a thoughtful hand on her chin while Aura concurred. Damien looked from one to the other and joined Arian in laughter.

Four children, presumably the offspring of the jesting juggler twins and the twin dancing sisters, were the concluding act of the Gorman Troupe, flourishing a juggling dance just as Link came into the bar. Naomi was the first to notice him enter, and then the attention of the entire bar was attracted to him as many deku shrubs jumped to the boy upon his entrance.

Link ripped the Keaton mask from his face, revealing his surprised expression. The deku scrubs continued to huddle around his feet.

"Thank you, hero!" They cried. Link's countenance did not reveal any sign of appreciation for this extroverted gratitude. Instead, shame seemed to express itself through his mood and manner, but mostly, at the moment, bewilderment overwhelmed him. He wondered what he had done to deserve this.

"You drove the bad men away from Clock Tower!" One yelled out, answering his unasked question.

"Now we are free!" They were jumping up and down with excitement. The Gorman leader was laughing joyously as he came to give some closing remarks. He publicly greeted the hero, once the dekus left him to join the celebration once more. This Gorman brother recognized Link from many years ago, remembering how the hero had helped him. Such a dramatic entrance turned the hero's cheeks red, though not from modest embarrassment.

For once the fairies were silent. They did not swirl around Naomi as they normally would have as she approached them. Naomi, being her normal nosy self, immediately inquired as to the whereabouts of Amy. Link did not answer, a tense anxiety welled up inside of him as he stared into Naomi's worrying eyes.

"I… she…" He tried to say as the audience fell silent, listening to Gorman's wonderful announcement, one that neither of these two were paying any attention.

Naomi continued to stare at Link, also not noticing Lulu getting up onto the stage, met with many cheers. It was during this eruption that Link blurted out the truth, but Naomi couldn't hear. The applause faded and Naomi asked him to repeat.

"Amy's gone…" He said as if he were ripping a bandage from a flesh wound. Naomi didn't understand, and now her concentration was absorbed by Link, and not by Lulu who was about to add to the joyous cause for applause with another, surprise announcement of her own.

"Amy left, she went back home." Link said in a single tone, his expression remained unaltered but his eyes looked to the floor, unable to bear the girl's stare. Naomi became drained of emotion herself, as the news seemed to hit her like a roaring wave. Link longed for her to say something, he thought anything would be better than this disheartening silence.

"I-I can't believe she wouldn't even say goodbye…" She finally said. Link's hopes were dashed; anything was not better than nothing.

No conclusion could be brought from this conversation, for the announcements that the two had missed were of dire consequences to one of the two. While Naomi had been wrapped up in Link's saddening news, Lulu had been announcing her surprise performance, one in which she would be accompanied by her children on their instruments, and by another, young songstress.

The crowd burst into applause and the spotlight centered on Naomi. She looked up from her dismay in utter confusion, only to be dragged onto the stage to Lulu's side.

"This was the surprise I had for you." Lulu whispered to her empty friend. Naomi smiled frailly, nothing seemed to matter to her right now.

"We are going to sing an original piece, a Duet of the Bay." The Zora announced. Her children were all excitedly looking to Naomi to begin. The Pirate girl new exactly what piece Lulu was speaking of, though she had been unaware that the Zora children had made an accompaniment to it.

Naomi wasn't thinking. She looked to Lulu, and merely did as she was told. The audience disappeared before her eyes, and she leaned into the shell-shaped microphone. Beginning the smooth song to lull the audience into awe.

Link was informing the others of the despair to hang before them while the sweet notes caressed the air around them. Each took the news differently, but each with some despair. Aura looked more shocked, and then merely let herself be captivated by the music, not wanting to think of much anything else. Damien looked to his feet, listening, but in a state of meditation. Arian was also silent, none were ready to respond to Link's news. It was unexpected, coming at a peculiar time. None knew how to respond.

All they could do was listen to the sweet melody that seemed to wrap them in some distant comfort. The tune stretched out to the Great Bay entrance in East Clocktown. A shadow passed over the moon. Amy stood there, staring into the distance. Her face blank, and heart and mind too heavy to do much else but sit. A red stone softly gleamed in her cupped hands, held on her chest.

A relatively small dragon, an old friend, came to perch before her. Ignus, a slightly larger beast now, instantly felt Amy's mood. He nudged her lovingly, for her regretfully also had sorrowful news to tell her.

"Gone Amy…" He said. His voice was slightly more mature, but in his sorrowful state he had reverted back to his original broken Hylian. "City gone…"

Amy snapped out of her previous sorrow only to enter a despair that seemed to delve deeper into her soul. Her home was gone?

She shook her head, patting Ignus on his neck.

"What? It can't be, I've only been gone for… for… a week, or so…" Amy suddenly wasn't sure how long she had been gone, her heart beat raced and she quickly climbed onto the dragon's back.

"We have to get home." Her voice was strained and she fought back tears with all her might.  
Hurry Ignus."

The small dragon didn't say anymore. He extended his wings and thrust them from the ground, feeling the urgency his rider held deep within.

_A great release from troubled send_

_The tide recedes, the day doth end_

_A worried night from day complete_

_Hurry now where souls do meet_

A single tear fell from Naomi's eye as her song finished. The crowd was silent, an appreciation that far exceeded an uproarious applause. Within this silence all could hear the great beating of wings and a low roll of a sorrowful, but beastly groan.

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**A/n: We told you it was sad. Next one coming, hopefully soon since school is over now (Both writers are now officially out of High School!! Yeah! Hopefully, however, by our writing, you didn't know that we were still in High School… really hoping… maybe possibly…) **

**Please R&R!**


	32. The Darkness Lifted

**A/n: So the last chapter was horribly depressing and many of us were very angry with Link, but we'll all begin to really love him again in this chapter and then be very proud of him in the next. He will be the Link we all know and love again!!! Yay! This chapter also clears a whole lot up, hope you all enjoy.**

Colored lights danced about the floor from the morning sun sifting through the stained glass windows at Hyrule Castle. It was amid the grand dining hall, where tapestries covered every wall and statues of ancient Kings and heroes stood proudly as décor, that Princess Zelda was having tea with a recently acquired friend. Malon, the red-headed maiden of Lon Lon Ranch, had bonded with the princess over their shared concern of the whereabouts of Link. The fair skinned princess had momentarily stood to pour the well browned Malon more hot herbal spice from the white porcelain pot. Zelda then sat back into her seat and daintily held up her cup while her delicate face became anxious once more.

"I haven't heard of or from him for days. I sent a company to Gerudo Valley in search of him, but none saw any sign of his presence." She shook her head in troubled doubt. Malon shared this same concern.

"Yes, he hasn't visited the ranch in over a week. I've been so worried about him." voiced Malon after a sip. Zelda, though very worried herself, was intent on comforting her guest.

"Hopefully he will be found soon, I have nearly every guard out in search of him." Upon this consoling remark, a guard entered the room, giving them both very gratifying news.

"My lady, we have found the hero." Both Malon and Zelda jumped from their seats at the sound.

"Where is he now?" Zelda inquired.

"Out in the courtyard, my lady." The young and nervous guard relied. Zelda graciously thanked him and both the girls walked briskly into the yard where Link did stand with Arian, Damien, Naomi and Aura.

Link was rather surprised to see Malon with Zelda, and Zelda and Malon were both rather surprised to see Link with company, but all were quite happy to be reunited. The hero however, still seemed barely able to conjure a smile. It had been a day's journey, and all were weary and worn, but also still held some remorse from prior events. Altogether, they made a rather dismal group, but Zelda was quick and determined to whisk this phantom away. After a quick yet formal introduction by Navi and a self introduction of Tatl, who now seemed to favor Aura's company, Zelda urged them to lunch in the dining hall where all could relax and become more comfortable. Malon, however, had to excuse herself for once she saw that Link was well, she realized that she had been neglecting her duties at the ranch and she told Link and Zelda that she hoped they would visit often.

It was a silent feast, but Damien knew that it was urgent for them to get down to business, for the fate of the world was in their hands. So, he broke this harsh silence and addressed the princess.

"My Royal Highness." He began ever so properly. Link cocked an eyebrow, for he had always called the princess 'Zelda,' but Damien had been raised with a different conduct. The princess merely nodded her head. "I bear with me the symbol of the ancient guard, is it still recognized by your family?" The question came as more of a statement when Damien thrust forward the symbol. Zelda stared inquisitively, but there was a familiarity in it.

"Yes, I do believe it is familiar. Tell me, how is it that you came by this symbol?" Zelda replied, her proper manner was found irritating by Aura who rolled her eyes, wanting to skip all of this nonsense and blurt out the short version of the story, but with Zelda it seemed that propriety was necessary in order to get anything done.

"I am of this ancient guard, and it is the nature of my previous assignment that brings me here to you today." Damien said. All of his associates were quite impressed by this new persona he took on, but Aura found it irritatingly charming. Damien continued eloquently explaining the manner of his assignment. "I hail from the Kingdom of Ikana. It is now a dead city, and I understand that it has been dead to Hyrule for quite some time, but I am from a time when the two Kingdoms were allies against a common enemy. One so great that even with power given by the Being of Goodness, we were only able to bind it." Aura was now thoroughly annoyed by how long this was dragging on. She cut off Damien's eloquent speech to get to the matter at hand.

"And now that evil is back and we have to try and seal it again before it destroys the world... Worlds… universe…" Damien directed a scathing glare in Aura's direction.

"I was getting to that." He said through gritted teeth. Aura smiled cheekily.

"Well now it's said, so we can get on with it."

Zelda, however, was not shocked, much to everyone's surprise.

"I suspected as much…" She said sorrowfully. "Ever since Link disappeared I have felt a chill in the air, and my dreams have been filled with darkness and sorrow. Something evil is coming upon Hyrule. It will darken the skies with hopelessness and fill these lands with the stench of despair." The words fell hard upon all who heard them. All save for Naomi.

"But it is not hopeless… We still have the sword, it is the key, isn't it?" Naomi queried. Her optimistic nature pulled up the groups spirits as Link pulled the Black Sword from his sheath. The dark blade shined in the firelight.

"What is this?" Zelda queried.

"It is the key that once sealed this being of pure evil in his prison." Damien answered. "Only one of royal blood was able to remove the blade, for only one of royal blood can control it." Damien looked to Link while Zelda brought up another inquiry.

"Who of royal blood took it? Surely no one of my family." Zelda said bemused.

"Princess, only one of your family may take the sword. It is the Hylian Royal Family that is blessed as the key bearer, no others." Damien answered.

"But I and my Father have remained here… there is no one else…" All fell silent, Link could feel what was coming and he had the sudden wish to melt away into the background. Zelda read the faces of her company. "Is there?" Suddenly, Link felt the need to speak.

"It is possible that the spell might allow a servant of the royal family to take the blade." Link said, he looked to his feet. "I accidentally drew the sword. I thought I heard Ganon, and my blade had become broken in a fall within the caves of this evil's dwelling. I did not know of its nature."

Zelda nodded in understanding while Damien stared at him questioningly.

"Do not fear, Link… you shall always find favor with us, and we can seal this beast once more." Zelda replied.

"It will be very difficult, my lady…" Damien went back to business, but his face was still contorted in angered bewilderment. "I do not even understand the full nature of this being, or of how they once sealed it."

"Then we shall search the castle archives, and you shall bring forth whatever you do know. As Naomi said, there _is_ still hope." Zelda ended. Naomi looked from one to the other, wondering if anything more would be said. When all remained silent, Naomi decided it would be best to put forth another question.

"What of the King? Shouldn't he be brought into this considering it is a threat to _his_ Kingdom?" She asked as politely as she could, realizing that it was a rather rude question, but she had to satiate her curiosity.

"Yes…" Zelda said with a sigh. "I suppose… it is only right. I shall request audience with him immediately. Hopefully we should be able to see him in a week or so."

"A week?!" Damien exclaimed. Zelda forced a light smile but a sorrow remained in her eyes.

"Yes, a week. My father is very… very busy. I'm sure however, that since this is an urgent matter, he ought to be able to see us within a week… or two…" Her voice grew quiet. Arian looked to his companions.

"That will give us time to search the archives, and try to make a plan so when we do have time with him, we'll have more to present than a problem." The boy said, a proposal that boded well with everyone, though Damien was still slightly perturbed by the amount of time he felt that they were wasting.

Link thanked Zelda for her hospitality and rose from the table. His expression was blank and all bit their tongue, as each wondered where he was off to, but none dared to ask. The hero's absence left a quiet about the table. Naomi looked sullenly to Arian.

"We had best be looking through the archives now, shouldn't we?" She asked, not knowing what else to do, and she knew it would be calming to put herself to work. Arian nodded. Zelda complied to their request by having a guard escort them to the ancient library.

Aura looked to Damien who glanced back before both returned their gazes upon the princess.

"What should we do?" Aura asked vaguely. Damien stood in a huff.

"I'm going to find Link… we have a few matters to discuss, and I don't know what you two should be doing." The ancient guard said as he left the table. Zelda nodded a goodbye to his bow and gazed upon Aura.

"So, where do you hail from?" She asked, her voice flowing like a calm river. Aura, her grimed and worn self, looked about dreamily with a half smile.

"I don't know…" came the restful reply. "The desert, I guess." She shrugged. Zelda nodded, she cocked her head to the side and let a silent moment pass between them.

"Well, I suppose you haven't been to the palace before, so I can give you a quick tour, and show you where you and your friends are staying. We haven't many rooms available right now, for there are several merchants here to discuss business with my father, but we can always make room for Link and his friends." She smiled, standing before Aura. "Come, let me show you my home."

So as Zelda and Aura walked about Hyrule castle and Arian and Naomi delved into the ancient scrolls and manuscripts, Damien came running to where Link was sitting on the steps to the moat with his boots at his side and his feet in the water. He looked almost like a small child, staring into the water with a strange pensive countenance. Damien slowed his walk upon spotting him and casually marched to his side, his large shadow creeping over the hero who gazed upon the one who blocked his sun. The guard crossed his arms.

"We never got to thoroughly discuss it… did we?" He asked. Link shrugged a reply, remaining silent. Navi remained above his head but held a silent and observant disposition.

Damien sighed and came to sit opposite Link. He began taking off his shoes.

"You know, you never told me that you didn't believe you were royalty. I thought I had given a fairly good argument. Besides, most people would jump at the chance of being called prince. Why don't you?" Damien prodded just as he too dipped his feet into the cool water. It truly was a good feeling on that hot and sunny day. Link withdrew from the water and ambled to a crate marked with the Lon Lon Ranch logo where he sat down to replace his boots.

"I guess I just don't want to be a prince… is that so bad?" He grumbled, sharply tying the laces. Damien shrugged and leaned back on his hands.

"No, but your desire does not conduct or beget the truth. If you are a prince, then it doesn't matter what you want because it won't change anything."

"No, it won't, but that doesn't mean that everyone has to know. I mean, what harm could come of me remaining a hero, huh? Zelda will become Queen and I will protect her lands, that is the perfect future and that is best for the people. However, if they discover I'm a prince, I might never be allowed out again and be locked up like the princess up there or be too involved in mindless business like her father."

"Your Father."

The words stung his ears and drove Link into silence. The thought hadn't dawned on him. He was the boy without mother or father, and never really knew what he was missing. The thought of a father was foreign to him, and he suddenly felt a strong desire to meet this man, but he would not allow such wantonness to derail his original desires. Link looked to the ground.

"Zelda is not to know. Besides, we are not absolutely positive that this is the truth, for all we know my association with her might have given me some rights of the royal family. She taught me their sacred songs, and gave me the Ocarina of Time. That was probably the only reason I could withdraw the sword."

"The one who fears the truth will always find some excuse to prove it false." Damien stood and replaced his boots as well. He turned to face Link. "I will rebuke this last one and take my leave… The sword was forged with the blood of the Royal Family. Only one with that blood pulsing through their veins may retrieve and wield the sword." He stared at the silenced hero. "I will give you time to contrive another reason for it's possible falsehood, but I assure you, these matters require a deeper understanding of the ancient magic than most would think, and that takes a lot of time and energy to learn."

Damien did take his leave and Link was left the wallow in his own disturbed thoughts. He brought his hands to his head, for he felt a strange rush pulse through him. It was then that Navi left his side and silently flew after Damien. Link watched in a daze as Damien walked away with Navi above his head, seeming as the hero he thought he had been.

He couldn't bear to stand there anymore, so he ventured to the castle wash room where steam would pour through vents connected to a hot spring. He stripped away the tunic and weaponry that represented the man he no longer seemed to be, and donned a simple towel.

Link sat in a swarm of steam, breathing in the cleansing atmosphere. He closed his eyes and tried to forget, wanting nothing other than to be a Kokiri, living forever as a child. Everything was simple when he was young. He knew who was bad, and that he was good; even at the artificial age of seventeen due to the unnatural traveling through time, he was still ten. Now he was truly seventeen. The years should have brought him wisdom, but Link didn't feel like anything could have prepared him for this emotional struggle.

He felt, dare he think, evil… somehow tainted by time. Perhaps not time, but there was something clouding his thoughts and he felt himself becoming something he didn't want to be.

Time seemed to pass by slowly, and Link felt he had spent long enough lingering on his woes. He left the hot steam room, coming to look out a window that brought a view of Hyrule field. A deep sigh escaped his lungs.

"That is not the usual sigh of the hormonal teenager." called the old, crackling voice. Link turned quickly, stunned to hear another voice, and stunned to hear himself referred to as a teenager.

"Old man!" He exclaimed, seeing their mysterious mentor sitting before him and realizing they had never been told his name. Link also felt relieved that he had at least pulled on a pair of slacks, not wishing to don his warrior's clothes.

The old man nodded, accepting this 'name.'

"You are not wearing your status, have you thrown yourself away?"

Link merely looked down to his bare chest, realizing the symbolism of his heroic garb. His brow creased in anger of this disdainful reminder.

"What would you know?" He said through gritted teeth. A black anger swelled in his mind. "They call me a hero without even knowing what I've done, what I've _gone _through! I never even wanted any of this to happen. I never meant for this to happen, it just did! Nothing was ever intentional… I didn't mean to hurt her!" His final rant was accompanied by the beating of his fist upon the wooden walls. Link's irregular and heavy breathing filled the silence that the old man gave him, but he then released the words that would still the broken hero.

"You mean Amy…" Link suddenly realized his slip of tongue during his burst of fury. His eyes widened and then fell into deep sorrow. The old man gave him another short silence.

"Such an eruption of fury, of self hate… is normally spawned from fear." He quelled. "What do you fear my boy?"

"I fear nothing…" Link replied, his fists clenching again.

"Only the foolish man fears nothing. The wise man uses his fears to give him courage and compassion." The old man relied. Link laid his head against the wooden frame of the window and closed his eyes. "Now tell me… what do you fear?"

Link thought for a long time. His history flashed before his eyes and the moments when his heart beat the hardest were all pulled to mind, and all bore one thing in common.

"Power…" Link finally said. His eyes were still closed. "I fear power… and all the consequences it can bring… all the destruction that comes with it."

"Whose power?" The old man asked as if he already knew the answer.

"Ganondorf's power… this evil one's power… Amy's power…" He sighed out. "All brought destruction, all are unpredictable, and all are dangerous." The old man nodded, seemingly examining his response.

"It would seem, my boy, that it is not power that you fear, but the power corrupted. You see, power in and of itself is not evil anymore than is any other ability. Only choices and actions can truly be evil, and this creature you are fighting now is this concept incarnated. You do not fear the power itself, but the choices of the one's who use, or abuse it for that matter. Ganon chose to use his power to destroy, and Amy… she chose to defend herself." Link looked up to the old man.

"Defend herself?" He asked. The old man nodded.

"She was attacked by Fear itself. One who overshadowed the lifeless body of Sakon."

"Lifeless?"

"Yes, lifeless. Sakon had long been dead. The body that remained was the shell of Fear, the being who had meant to kill Amy, but her power saved her… and you…"

"Me? I've defended myself from such beasts as I'm sure you have never even seen, old man… how could _she_ have saved _me_?" Link took a few steps towards the elder who remained with both hands on his cane that stood upright before him.

"You could never have defeated Fear, for you did not even know what you were afraid of…" He answered. Link pulled a hand to his head, another rush had come upon him, and with each one he felt weaker.

"Give me your hand." The old man said. Link was hesitant, unsure if he had even heard him at first, but then relinquished his dominant hand, the left. The mysterious philosopher held the hero's hand palm up and brought his own aged hand above the younger one.

"Pravumerus, you have no power here." Proclaimed the voice in a sterner fashion than Link had ever heard him speak. His wrinkled fingers than pinched the air above his palm and began pulling forth what appeared to be a black string. It grew from Link's own hand as does a mist from a river. With the extraction of the strange substance, Link felt a chill leaving his body. The anger left, but it was replaced by a feeling of great exhaustion. Link broke into a cold sweat and felt his knees give out from under him. He fell to the ground but the old man continued to keep his hand, pulling more darkness from him and Link wasn't sure how long it would be before he lost consciousness, but, much to his relief, the old man finished and released his hand.

"What was that?" Link asked, pulling himself up onto a crate and leaning back. He breathed heavily and shook as if cold, but the sweat continued to emboss his skin.

"That was the surfeit of dark power that was fused into the sword during its time as a key. Pravumerus is quite the clever being."

"Who is he?" Link asked, slightly delusional.

"You mean what?" The old man asked. Link nodded dreamily. "Well, my boy… I have already told you. Evil incarnate… pure evil…"

Link nodded, closing his eyes and trying to gather himself, but after his brief rest, he looked to find that the old man had once more disappeared. Link was left to wonder if he had dreamed it all, but he could feel a distinct difference in himself that proved otherwise. He felt somehow free, like himself again, but suddenly he remembered all that had happened, and all that he had done. The hero inside felt remorseful, but strong enough to continue on, and brave enough to try and right the wrongs he had committed.

**A/n: Any Questions? Anything really confusing? R&R.**


	33. The Sinking Island

**A/n: Hey guys, thanks for waiting so long… again… sorry… The next chapter is already in progress, and this one was really fun to write. It only took two days, but for a thousand different reasons, we had like a two week delay in posting. Really sorry. The next one should be up soon, and if it's not, email one of us with a terrible comment/ we deserve it if this one takes too long. **

**Wolf demon 2010: Your question shall be answered… in the next chapter. Sorry, but this one is awesome too!… we hope…**

**Lectaelf: I can't believe authors can't relate to having a life…. What? We're usually the ones who're to blame for the delays, and we appreciate any an all reviews as or whenever they come. Better late than never. We're glad nothing was confusing, that was just a question to make sure we explained our thoughts well. Sometimes it's hard to find the right words. **

**Jella: Yay!**

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**Chapter 33: The Sinking Island**

The air was smoggy and dark around the island, something Amy was not used to. She clung to the ridges on Ignus's back, her legs wrapped tightly around his middle. His wings had slowed considerably, and she could hear his tired breaths growing more ragged. Her weight was beginning to be too much for him, and Amy felt terrible for pushing him this far.

"Hang on, Ignus. I see the island-" She choked on her words though, for she saw the true state of her home. Ignus let out a low groan and descended quickly to the rocky ground. This could not be her home.

As they walked about the desolate grounds, Amy and her companion perceived where the smoke was coming from. There were large bodies of great beasts, mutilated by ash, littering the field leading to her hometown. Ignus let out a sharp cry of anguish, for they saw that these beasts were their friends, the _dragons_. Amy shuddered violently, for she recognized some of them, but she steeled herself and looked ahead. A pillar of smoke rose up from the town.

She continued on, Ignus trailing her with his head low to the ground; he could hardly walk from his intense grief, but remained close to his only source of comfort. The town was in no better shape. All of the dwellings that Amy had become accustomed to were burned, only charred mounds were left behind. She ran to the old town square, where a funeral pyre had been built. Amy raised her head, searching desperately for the builder.

Ignus, overcome by exhaustion and sorrow, stopped and would go no further. Amy disregarded this, for she was filled with an anxiety to find somebody, _any _living familiarity. She searched relentlessly, fueled by adrenaline and wrath. But soon, she too became overcome. The eerie silence was deafening to her heart, for she had never associated such silence in this setting.

She staggered back into the square, a place that used to be so full of life. The island was vast in size and had once contained a large population of people. There were several towns within the island, and this was the main market square where all of the different town merchants met to trade goods. She remembered being a small girl and getting lost in the chaos. Amy loved that feeling, for she rarely witnessed it, being isolated by her nobility. Terrin had been the son of a merchant, and he had been her only friend, and she had coveted that friendship.

Now, however, her home was completely desolate, and she was left to stand staring at the burning flames towering to the sky. It was as if they were mocking her, tearing away everything that meant something to her. She tripped over her own feet and scraped her knees. With white knuckles, she grabbed her hair and let loose a terrible shriek that deteriorated into loud, wracking sobs. Her throat grew hoarse, and her voice gave out completely. Her anger crumbled into despair, and she felt as though the life had left her body.

It seemed as though she lay there for hours in that haze, and it was as if she had died. But, like a dream, a wonderful voice beckoned her. It was a voice she hadn't heard in a long time, and she wondered if it were but a fleeting hope. But it pervaded her senses, and she soon felt wiry hands encircle her arms and pull her up.

"I'm sad to say you're a bit late, child. But not too late." Her old mentor murmured compassionately. She stroked the dust from Amy's cheek and smiled weakly. Her own blue eyes were dull and tired, the old sternness almost gone.

"What happened?" Amy's voice cracked feebly, her own eyes coated with tears. Mrs. Cassidy's eyes began to water as well, but she held onto her faint smile.

"Someone turned our guardians against us." She said, "However, your mother and father were able to gather a group and flee the island." Amy felt a small relief in the safety of her parents. "Those dragons that you see," She motioned to the burning remains, "Were manipulated by strangers to this island, and they had become tainted by some poison. We had to fend them off, and many people fell in that battle. I am the only one who remains here now, because I was waiting for you. I knew you would come."

"Where did they go, I mean, the survivors?"

"I don't quite know, but I must stay here." She looked around them. Ignus was now with them, his eyes bright with hope at seeing the woman. "This island is sinking." Amy looked up, eyes wide.

"I have the stone now! I can save it!" She held it in trembling hands. Mrs. Cassidy smiled slowly but sorrowfully.

"This island has come to its end, as all things must. The magic that guarded our home for centuries has grown old, and has finally succumbed to nature." She embraced Amy, comforting her.

"But what can I do? It seems as though there is nothing left for me!" Amy said sharply, as more tears streamed down her face, which was contorted in frustration. It was as if everything supporting her had been taken; her new friends, her old friends, and now, her life. Mrs. Cassidy looked into her eyes steadily, and after a moment, spoke.

"Amy, you still have a future, even if it might seem different than what you anticipated. You are more courageous than you think, and you are meant for other things."

"What does that even _mean_?" Amy asked, still frustrated.

"It _means _that your future lies somewhere else. You should leave-"

"No, I can't leave! You're still here.. What if they come back?" Amy interjected, alarmed.

"Don't worry. You shouldn't weigh yourself down with worries." Mrs. Cassidy laughed, a sound Amy rarely heard. "I will stay here, because I am bound here. You must go and help your friends, old and new. I will sink along with this island, in peace, for I am part of it."

"You can't mean that-"

"Yes, I will die. And I wouldn't have it any other way. What role do I have here? I was bound to you as your mentor, but you no longer need my guidance." Amy almost scoffed, disbelieving.

"I've only been gone a week, and you say that I've outgrown you? I'm just a child! You can't be serious." Mrs. Cassidy grew stern.

"You _are _an adult, the fact that you admit your own foolishness--oddly enough-- proves your maturity. You came here with the stone, all by yourself." Amy shook her head, tears flowing again.

"I wasn't alone. I had help."

"And you helped as well." Amy lifted her head, confused.

"How do you know?"

"I just do." She said, rather bluntly. Amy raised her eyebrows. She dropped the subject, however. A painful memory of Link's rebuke flashed through her mind, and it disquieted her. She felt as though she hadn't helped at all. Stubbornly, she turned to face her mentor again.

"I'm not going to leave you yet, you know that." Mrs. Cassidy smiled wryly.

"Stay for this night. But promise you'll leave tomorrow."

Shadows danced about the arching, wooden beams of the library within the belly of the Castle. Lit solely by firelight, Naomi and Arian were digging through the vast amount of scrolls and manuscripts. Naomi yawned and rubbed her tired eyes, but suddenly, her attention came roaring to life.

"Arian! I think I found something! It's from the time of five ancient kingdoms." She said excitedly and laid it down on the wooden table. No reply answered her exclamation, for as she looked up, she found Arian had fallen asleep on a timeline of the royal family. Naomi smiled, there was something amusing about seeing how sweet he looked in his sleep, she almost hated to wake him, but sleeping like that would give him an awful crick in his neck.

"Arian…" She called gently and pushed on his arm. "Wake up…" He jerked upon her touch and slowly raised his head, looking up into her eyes.

"It's nice waking up and seeing your face." He smiled dumbly. Naomi laughed.

"Did you get that line from Damien?"

"No, it was just an observation."

"Well, why don't you put your observational skills to use and help me figure this thing out." She put the scroll in front of him and sat down. He skimmed over it.

"It's a treaty…" He said, wrinkles formed in his brow. Naomi nodded.

"Yes, a land treaty among five kingdoms. Hyrule is included."

"What does it mean?" He asked.

"Look at the other kingdoms."

"Draconia and… Minirith… my home…" He looked up to Naomi who nodded.

"Yes, and if you look, it seems that Nynamar is located within the seas and waters."

"Your home…" He grinned. "And the fifth kingdom… it is Ikana. Damien's home."

"You're sounding a little redundant." Naomi said dryly.

"I'm just tired. Now all we have to do is figure out how this helps…" He rubbed his eyes. "If at all…"

"Well, now we sort of have an idea of where the other Kingdoms are…" Argued Naomi.

"Yes, and we know that Link is the key bearer, from Hyrule, Damien is the guardian, from Ikana, you are from Nynamar, and I am from Minirith. That leaves Draconia-- and I do distinctly recall the old man speaking of Draconians being one of the important races." He said in his tired state. Naomi nodded.

"So this at least gives us an idea of where to look for the Draconian that we need."

Arian skimmed down to the portion of the treaty where it allotted land to Draconia.

"Um… except for the fact that we have no idea what this means."

"What?" Naomi asked while she too leaned in to read. "'And all land within the skies shall be allotted to the Kingdom of Draconia'… what does that mean?" Suddenly, Naomi's eyes widened as she distinctly recalled an old conversation.

"Amy lives there!!!" She exclaimed with a gasp. Naomi stood up and began pacing. "When we were bathing in the laundry pool, Damien came, after Amy told us about her _floating_ island home, and he called it Draconia!"

"Wait, what?!" Arian stood. "Damien addressed you while you were _bathing_?!" He growled. Naomi held up her hand.

"Arian, I appreciate your hostility about the matter, but this isn't the time. I would never, _ever _be interested in Damien… and you know that. I _pray_ that you know that." Arian rolled his eyes and sat back down.

"Yeah… so you lost me at 'bathing' and '_Damien'_. What else did you say?"

"I said that Amy lived on a floating island called Draconia." She said slowly. Arian raised an eyebrow.

"Why didn't this information surface _before_ she left?"

"I guess there was just too much going on at one time… I was mad at you for lying about the bar… Damien had just joined our group… and Link and Amy were constantly fighting." She sighed and sat back down in her chair. "I wonder why she left so abruptly though…" Arian reacted to her sorrowful disposition by taking her by the hand.

"I know she didn't leave because of you… if anything, she would have stayed because of you." He told her. Naomi let out a weeping laugh as one tear escaped her eye.

"You have got to stop hanging out with Damien." She dried the tear. Arian smiled.

"Probably…" He thought for a moment. "I do wish Link had been more specific as to what had happened when Amy left… He was the last one to be with her." Naomi nodded.

"It _is_ very strange… I suppose the impact of the news of her leaving had overwhelmed us all. I had never really gotten to think about it."

Arian concurred with the nod of a head, but he suddenly noted the time.

"It's almost sunset. I should get to my room before… well, you know." He grinned, feeling very glad that she knew. Naomi nodded.

"We wouldn't want the castle guards to kick you out, or throw you in the dungeon or anything like that. Your condition is rather hard to explain."

"And I would appreciate it if it did remain our little secret." He pleaded. Naomi sighed.

"When will our group stop keeping so many secrets?"

"Maybe after everyone gets to know me a little better, like you… and Link." He answered. "I don't want anyone to get the wrong idea." Naomi nodded, understanding his predicament.

"Yes, well, go on to bed. We'll go find Zelda and ask where she wants us to stay." The two got up and left the study, taking the helpful scroll with them, hoping Damien would make something out of it.

Amy awoke to the smell of ash and smoke. It was quite a bitter feeling that filled her, waking up to such a harsh reality. Today she was to leave her home-- forever. Though she had come to terms with it the night before, it was hard to grasp after sleeping on it. She lied curled up next to Ignus atop a makeshift bed made of grass and leaves. The air was clouded with white smoke; she and Mrs. Cassidy had gone to work finishing the burning of the bodies of the great dragons.

She stood again at the unnatural shore of the island, facing the bleak reality of what was said yesterday. The island had already begun to sink towards the sea, and it reminded Amy of her mentor's fate. It was a great affliction to her, because Mrs. Cassidy had not only been her mentor, but the closest thing to a mother. Her parents were the unofficial leaders of the island, and at very young age, Amy was taken in by Mrs. Cassidy. She had once told Amy that the reason she couldn't see her parents often was because they were too busy trying to maintain the welfare of their people. Though they loved her very much, she said, it was a decision made for her benefit. Still, Amy did _not _want to let go of her motherly mentor.

As she was thinking this, she looked over her shoulder and saw Mrs. Cassidy walking up the path to the great volcano. Agitated, she followed her, not caring if she was seen or heard. Ignus, having awoken, walked next to her, his head reaching her shoulder. She stroked his ears, hoping that he would always stay by her side.

Mrs. Cassidy disappeared from view suddenly, and Amy began to run up the path to find her. She had never been up this far on the mountain, for only a few had been allowed to the mouth of the cave. Though hesitant to enter at first, Amy stepped in upon seeing her inside. Ignus waited by the opening, respecting their tribe's rules.

"Why are you here?" Amy asked, somewhat irritated at her mentor's confusing behavior.

"Because I knew you would follow." Her statement sobered Amy. She looked back at the girl, her own black hair hanging loose on her shoulders. She looked down into a large pit of boiling magma and Amy soon came by her side. A black stone protruded out of the magma, and there were beautiful and intricate markings riddling its surface. It appeared to be an ancient language which Amy did not recognize.

"Do you know what that says?" She queried.

"Honestly? I have _no_ idea." An unintentional grin crossed Mrs. Cassidy's face. Amy smiled widely, despite her sorrow. "It's too old for me to read, though I _am _very old."

"You aren't so old..." Amy said, her brow creased in confusion. Mrs. Cassidy looked at her, her eyes wise beyond her years.

"I am older than you would ever know." She murmured. Amy felt a strange awe pass through her. She began to realize that perhaps Mrs. Cassidy was not what she seemed. The woman continued.

"Amy, I might not know what this stone says, but I know its purpose." She was suddenly very serious. Amy felt her chest grow heavy, for she sensed the finality in her voice. "I have not led you here before because I didn't know if there would ever be a need, but I suspected that I would have to someday." Amy nodded, her voice gone. Mrs. Cassidy grew quiet also, and she stood across Amy, looking at her with soft eyes.

Amy grew very upset and began to weep quietly. She knew that this was it. The stone around her neck began to glow bright red, and it illuminated both of their faces. The writings on the stone seemed to react to it, and they, too, turned red. Mrs. Cassidy stepped close to Amy and kissed her on the forehead, stroking her hair.

"Go give the island back her stone." Her voice like a gentle breeze. Amy looked long and hard at her mentor, and then walked up to the edge of the pit and reached out with the stone. The rock had an indentation that was made for it, and Amy placed it in there.

Almost immediately upon the stone's contact, the rock began to sink, and all of the symbols came to life and flew off. They dissipated into Amy's skin, to her surprise, and she felt a great heat rise inside of her. Panicked, she looked behind her, only to see that Mrs. Cassidy was gone. The rock crumbled into the magma, and it caused the ground beneath Amy's feet to do the same. It seemed to trigger an explosion of some sorts, for the magma rose out of the pit at a high speed, blasting the mountain to pieces. One such piece crashed into Ignus, causing him to careen down the mountain trail. Alarmed, he flew away in a rash impulse.

As he leapt off of the shores, he looked back in horror and watched as the entire island crumbled from existence. However, to his surprise, he saw a figure flying out of the cloud of smoke and ash.

Link donned his heroic garb once more and began walking out to the royal stables. As he strolled down the hall, he passed a large group of friends heading towards their rooms. Aura, Zelda, Arian, and Naomi had not yet spotted him, and Arian seemed amid an interesting conversation with Zelda.

"I had never known anyone who wanted to get to sleep before sunset." Zelda stated.

"Well, you know what they say," Arian started, "early to bed, early to wise… I mean… wait… uh… Link!" He spotted his friend. "Where are you going?"

"I'm going to find Amy." He said without any thought other than his current mission. Naomi's eyes lit up.

"You know where she is?" She asked eagerly, standing right before him.

"Well, uh… no, but I'm going to find her."

"Why?" Aura asked, not understanding what brought this on. "Didn't she have to go home? Why is it your job to find her?"

"It's just the right thing to do." Link brushed past them and ran the rest of the way to the stables. Tatl remained above Aura only momentarily, stunned by Link's change of heart, then in a flash she bolted after him.

"The Hero's back! Whoo hoo!!!" Shouted the exuberant fairy. "Let's Go!" Damien had been walking in, Navi still hovering above his head. Upon hearing Tatl's shouts of joy, the small blue fairy joined her.

Epona bolted from the stables and the hero sat upon her back as she reared. A noble air now surrounded him and the two fairies took their place above his head.

Damien merely snorted with arms crossed as he watched him gallop off into the sunset. He then turned back to Arian who he found was nervously close to Aura. The guard quickly addressed the princess in his proper manner and grabbed Arian's arm.

"I'm afraid we really must be getting to sleep. Is this our room?" He asked, pointing to a door. Zelda nodded blankly. "Thank you, my lady. I bid you goodnight. Goodnight girls." He said to Aura and Naomi who also had the same blank features. Arian smiled just before being dragged into the room by Damien. Zelda was left with the two girls.

"There are two remaining rooms. One was to be Link's…" She said with a shrug. "And the other I had anticipated you two to share." Aura's face lit up.

"Alright, I finally get my own room." She cheerfully announced. Naomi cocked her head to the side.

"You know, I've never had my own room… except when… well… never mind." She said vaguely, then a sigh escaped her as her attention was brought back to the absent Link. "Do you think he'll find her?"

"Who?" Aura glanced to where Naomi was peering. "Oh, Link. I dunno, but I am kind of glad he's looking. I miss Amy." She crossed her arms and Naomi looked back to her friend with a wide grin. "What?" Aura shrugged.

"I knew you liked her." Naomi looked back to where she had been staring.

"Well, when I spend more than three whole days with a person for _every waking moment_, I come to one of two conclusions: I _despise _them, or they start to grow on me." Aura relied bluntly. Suddenly, Naomi's eyes became wide and she glanced at her friend.

"Which one am I?"

Aura smirked, "You're good…"

* * *

**A/n: More to come, please R&R! **


	34. Amy Returns

**A/n: Sorry it took so long, but both of us were moving into college in different parts of the state, but we're only twenty minutes away, as opposed to five, but o well, we're going to write until this is finished. **

**Thank you all for your wonderful encouragement. **

**JELLA :**** Hey, hope you like this chapter. We're loving college and promise to keep in touch****, but mostly we promise to complete this story in a most wonderful way. ****Lol****, and yes, I realized that these characters are in fact teenage girls… they are going to gossip… though not quite the annoying kind like most girls because they are for the most part tom-boys. ****And…**** I completely understand the whole rage thing. **

**Wolf demon 2010: Thanks for the wonderfully amazing reviews. And yes, you finally find out what happened to Amy, well, sort of, you don't figure out exactly what happens so far as how she got off the island—that won't be fully explained until a couple of chapters later. We're getting more organized as the end is near, but the chapters might be a bit longer—take this one for example. And that last question—in the next couple of chapters as well. **

**Lectaelf****: We were sad too during that chapter. We even got a little teary-eyed. We're glad to hear that it came out in our writing, and yes, we will be seeing more of Ignus in the chapters to come. Dragons are awesome. **

**Bluenavydragon****: Thank you so much, it's always welcoming to hear that.**

* * *

**Chapter 34: Amy Returns**

The night air was cool compared to the warm castle, but Link was still breaking a sweat for he and Epona had searched high and low for Amy. The hero's clothes were damp from his failed attempt to return to Termina via Lake Hylia; the way Naomi had gotten them all home. He despairingly began the long trek back to the castle, however, something caught his eye near the river that fed into the lake. As Navi and Tatl danced about it, his eyes widened and heart skipped and he leapt from his horse, running to the bank.

"Amy…" He called gently with some anxious apprehension. "What happened?" His words fell on deaf ears, for Amy lay unconscious. The moonlight provided poor visibility, but he could still make out many burns and bruises covering her shivering and broken body. Alarmed, he ran awkwardly through knee-deep water and pulled her into his arms.

He was surprised by how light she was, and when he shifted his weight to walk, Amy stirred groggily. As her dull red eyes fixated on his, Link couldn't think of anything consoling to say. Her tired face showed an emotion akin to sorrow.

"I'm sorry." She muttered in a weak voice before once more passing out of consciousness. So Link held her, lit by the light of the silent Tatl and Navi.

He felt angry, but this time he recognized the feeling; from the death of the first Deku Tree, the capturing of Princess Zelda, and, at one point, the falling of Hyrule. All of these events held one thing in common, a grave wrong had been committed by some bitter fool. The only difference between that and the present, him holding the broken Amy in his arms, was that Link felt he held some responsibility in this.

Amy groaned; a sign of some consciousness. So Link quickly set her upon Epona's back, and began riding back to Hyrule castle, pondering how she could have gotten there in such a state, but mostly, who had done this to her.

* * *

Naomi lay in her own bed and in her own room. Rays of moonlight came from her window and cast lonely shadows on the walls. She closed her eyes for as long as she could, but still no sleep came to her. Every time her eyes once more opened to see those shadows, she sighed in angry irritation. Finally, after many hours deep into the night, Naomi gave up. She flung off her sheets and pulled on a robe over her night gown so that she might walk about the castle grounds.

The night air was cool and crisp, and it brought a calm about her, now that she was away from her solitary room. Naomi didn't know why sleep evaded her tonight, but she thought deeply on it while staring towards the sleeping city. It was then that the distant figure of a horse and rider caught her attention. He seemed to be coming slowly up the path towards the castle. Being curious and having no other commission, Naomi quickly went to investigate.

It was upon this close investigation that Naomi soon saw that this horse was Epona and there was not one but two riders.

"Amy…" She whispered and began running across the courtyard towards the castle gate. The girl was upon them before the soldier had a chance to address Link. "Let them in!" Naomi demanded, much to everyone's surprise, but the soldier didn't hesitate to follow her orders. Link held Amy upright on Epona, and Naomi now walked at their side.

"What happened?" She asked Link, who was still asking that question himself.

"I found her in Lake Hylia… I don't know yet, but I intend to find out." He replied. They reached the drawbridge into the grand home of Zelda. It had already been let down for Naomi and now Link was able to march straight through it.

"Well, you bring her to my room, I will take care of her until we can get a proper doctor here." Naomi said, quickly taking charge of the situation. Link half-smiled with dreary humor.

"I always thought _you_ were a proper doctor." He murmured. Naomi was taken off guard, for she had never seen the consoling side of Link, but his new approach was welcomed.

"I thank you, but I would still like to have some help for our dear friend… it looks like she may be injured beyond my expertise." Naomi noted the burns. They were strange to her, and therefore, rather threatening.

Link dismounted and pulled Amy into his arms. He carried her up to Naomi's room and placed her on the bed. Amy moaned from all the motion, her eyes opened only enough to see a small sliver of her now dulled, red eyes before closing them once more.

Naomi brought the embers to life in the stone fireplace within her room, then set to work in making her remedies and mending Amy's wounds. Link paced the floor pensively.

"Is there… is there anything I can do?" He asked Naomi while she busily made her way about the room, looking in the cabinets the castle always had stocked with supplies.

"Umm…" Naomi replied amid her rummaging. She looked back to Amy who lay soaking wet. Her lips came together in a thin line. She closed her eyes and went back to her working demeanor. "I need to get her in some dry clothes… so, you should leave." Link blushed slightly while Naomi looked down, trying to think of what else might be said. "Go get the doctor at Lake Hylia, or wake up the others and tell them what's happening… or both…" Naomi laid down an armful of bottles upon the floor. Link nodded and quickly complied.

He went out into the hall and shut the door behind him. Then, after a moment of hesitant steps, he shook his head.

"Good thing we have Naomi for these things…" Navi piped up. Link concurred with a nod and then went to wake up Aura.

After several harsh and urgent raps at the door, a rather disheveled Aura revealed herself. She narrowed her eyes and glowered at the now distressed Link.

"I knew it!" She exclaimed in a croaky voice. Link's eyes widened and he took a step back.

"What?" He asked nervously.

"I knew I'd have to give up my room!"

"Ummm… I brought Amy back, and she's… injured… Naomi might need your help…" He quickly explained.

"Oh," came the surprised reply. Her expression showed relief but then sobered as the news sank in. "I didn't know that." Aura then grabbed her bag and raced to Naomi's room, barging in without a knock.

"Close the!-- oh, it's yo--" Naomi's voice rang out just before the door slammed loudly. Upon the loud bang and shouts, Damien appeared at his door in between the two girl's rooms.

"What did Arian do this time?" He asked rather drowsily. One side of his hair was standing on end.

"What did I do? Is Naomi mad?" Another tired voice called from behind him. Link let out a hoarse laugh before sinking back into an empty and tired expression.

"Um… Amy's hurt… I'm going to go get a doctor…" Link answered. A short silence passed between them.

"Okay…" Damien finally said, understanding that there was nothing he could do, and closed the door abruptly to go back to sleep until he could be useful.

* * *

The girls were now fully dressed but far from fully awake. While Aura was now half-asleep in the chair, after helping with several bandages, Naomi, finished wrapping the final burn, which was the only way she knew how to cope with such injuries. It had been a long and tiresome night, and Naomi was slowly wearing down. After the last wrapping was complete, she slowly stood and turned to her napping companion.

"Aura…" She called. The young girl stirred. "Aura, you watch over Amy." In a hazy shade of sleepy dreariness, Aura stood from the chair as a sort of automatic response.

"What?" She asked with a yawn, but before Naomi could reply, the girl stole her chair and quickly drifted into sleep. "Naomi?" Aura turned around and nudged her unmoving friend. "She stole my chair."

Aura then delved into the cabinets to find a pot and some coffee grounds. Upon uncovering such items, she immediately set to work making coffee with robotic motions. Aura set the large pot with water onto the fire and sat upon the stool next to Amy's bed, staring at it. The water boiled and the grounds were added for a few minutes and then Aura set to work in straining it. Then, picking up the homemade pot by the handle and staring into it, she muttered to herself, "I don't have a cup…" So, in her dire need, she felt it was best to begin drinking as soon as possible. At this moment, with her lips pursed to the side of the large pot, a knocking sounded at the door. However, Aura had not finished her morning drink.

The door opened slowly to reveal Link and a curious doctor, Thrucian. Aura looked to them and set down her pot.

"There's coffee if anyone's interested…" She said while wiping her mouth.

"Uh… that's alright. How's Amy doing?" Link looked to the bed and then around for her original nurse, finding her curled up in the chair. "… and Naomi…"

"A little lethargic but otherwise pretty normal… chair thief…" Aura muttered the last few words while the doctor stepped in, recognizing the young chair thief.

"Why, little Naomi… I had wondered where she had gotten to…" Link at first seemed a little surprised that he knew her but then remembered that it _had_ been Naomi who requested his aid.

"Yes, she's been taking care of our friend thus far, but she said it might be beyond her expertise… whatever that means." Link said, pointing him towards Amy who now lay wrapped and bandaged. Naomi had also pulled back Amy's loose and distraught hair and cleaned her face, helping her appear more like her old self.

"It would be nice to know what she meant, and what she's done so far. I hate to say it, but if one of you could wake--" Thrucian had been talking as he sat down on the stool next to Amy's bed when his sentence was cut off by a large 'thump'. All turned to find that Aura had flipped her friend out of the chair.

"Wake up, they need you." Aura told the moaning girl who lay on the floor. Naomi drearily stood, and oddly enough, didn't seem irritable at all.

"Oh, coffee…" She mumbled and headed over to pick up the pot. After taking a long swig, Naomi seemed ready to get to work. "Thrucian, I'm glad you made it."

"Link here called in a favor. He's done a lot to help me in the past, it's only fair that I should come to his aid as well, although it was rather early." He looked harshly at the boy. Naomi nodded in agreement.

"Yes, but thank you so much for coming on such short notice, and so quickly. Amy, our friend, seems to have encountered some rather rough company, and judging by the bruising around several scrapes, I suppose there has been some blunt trauma, possibly from falling or being beaten with blunt objects… and then there are these…" Naomi unwrapped one of the burns. "I don't know where these came from, or how to heal them…" Thrucian listened intently and examined the poor girl.

"She currently appears to be suffering from extreme exhaustion. Has she been able to eat or drink anything?"

"She's been out cold the whole time, so I'm not sure how long she's gone without sustenance. She was pretty hurt, so all I thought about was healing her as best I could." Naomi said, her brow creased. Thrucian nodded slowly and turned to his bag. He began to rummage through it, pulling out a glass bottle filled with a blue liquid. Link raised his eyebrows, a look of recognition sweeping across his features.

"Now, I'm going to give this to her. Lift up her chin and make sure she swallows this." Thrucian instructed as he slowly poured the liquid down Amy's throat. The three of them watched in dumbfounded awe as the rough burns and bruises still visible on Amy's body disappeared. When all of the potion was gone, Amy's body shuddered violently and then went back to rest. Naomi had jumped up, ready to be at her side, tending to her conscious and scared friend, but Amy had merely fallen back asleep.

"She only needs rest right now, but when she awakes, she will be as good as before, only very hungry… The medicine uses the body's resources up to perform such a powerful healing." Thrucian said, nodding authoritatively. Naomi sighed and reseated, trying to settle herself back down.

"I guess she won't need those wrappings anymore." She said slowly, only slightly aggravated. Link turned to Thrucian, both eyebrows raised.

"I didn't know blue potions were that powerful."

"Link, did you ever once _look_ at yourself before you took one of those?" Navi questioned him. When no response came, she continued. "My point _exactly_."

"_Yeah_," Tatl added, "Death personified isn't the most pleasant thing to witness, but it perfectly described you after that run in with that giant _fish_ thing." Link shuddered at the memory of that certain boss.

"Well, it looks like my job is done…" Thrucian said, standing from his place. Naomi, too, stood up, merely out of habit, it was Link who seemed intent on bidding the doctor farewell.

"How much do we owe you? I know that potion didn't come cheap. And for coming on such short notice…" Link asked earnestly, pulling out his giant's wallet. Thrucian put up a hand, though he ogled the great money bag, wondering how on earth it fit unnoticeably in Link's tunic, as did Aura and Naomi. They also took notice of Link's uncharacteristic worried behavior.

"For friends, it is free… Not to mention I owe both you and Naomi for your services." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "Though, please do not wake me this early _ever _again." Link nodded in reply.

Thrucian smiled and walked out of the room, heading towards town to catch the early carriage. Link turned to the two barely conscious girls, who were currently chugging more of the coffee.

"Is that stuff good?" He asked with one brow arched.

"Heck no." Aura replied after swallowing the bitter stuff. "But it works." As they stood there, a servant walked by the room.

"Her ladyship requests your companionship for breakfast." He faced Link and then bowed, stepping away. Naomi smiled with a hint of cheekiness.

"So, when are you going to tell Zelda about your… possible heritage?" She asked.

"I don't plan on it." Link replied curtly. Aura rolled her eyes.

"Whatever. I'm gonna go get breakfast." She stalked out of the room. Link stood in the doorway, looking back at a more peaceful Amy. He couldn't voice his utter relief upon her safety, nor could he convey his immense gratitude to Naomi. Though, when he looked over to the little pirate nurse, he figured he could try to repay her kindness.

"I'll watch Amy. You go and have breakfast… You look exhausted."

"What? I look that bad?" Naomi asked, hurriedly combing her fingers through her disheveled hair. Alarmed, Link held up his hands.

"NO! No… I just mean… ugh. Nevermind. You look… uh… _dashing_." He muttered, embarrassed. He turned to leave, deciding it was a lost cause. Naomi, realizing his blundering attempt at thoughtfulness, went after him.

"Link!" She called, running down the hall. He ground his teeth as he turned to face her. For some reason he expected her to lecture him, or question him about everything and anything, but all she did was stare into his eyes with an expression that he had not yet seen on her face.

"Thank you, Link, for bringing Amy back." She finally said. "I'm so proud of you for going out and doing the right thing like this, though I'm sure my pride hardly has any meaning for you." Link smiled in return. He nodded his head and went on to breakfast. Naomi was smiling as well, only she returned to Amy's bedside.

* * *

The fire had died out and Naomi had once more fallen asleep, despite the coffee that was still warm, sitting by the embers. Curled up in the large chair once more, Naomi had somehow propped her head up upon one hand while her elbow rested upon her knees, which were curled up into the chair with her. It had only been about an hour since all had gone to breakfast, including Damien and Arian who were forced awake by a page that had also brought bread, honey and milk to Amy's room on Zelda's request.

It was at this precise moment, when her surroundings were completely quiet and settled, that Amy blinked awake. She lay still for a moment, feeling the ache that pulsed through her entire body. Her mouth was parched and she licked her lips to give them some feeling of moisture, however, she also felt somehow rejuvenated, though there was an awful taste in her mouth. Amy got up, timidly touching her feet to the warm, wooden floor and wondering how she had gotten there.

Link had been the last face she had seen, but she vaguely remembered voices. Amy looked up to see Naomi asleep in the chair. A light smile crossed her face, for despite her delirium, she remembered being comforted by hearing her voice. Then, Amy saw it; the bread, honey, and milk from Lon Lon Ranch. As she clutched her stomach, she suddenly realized how famished she was, and therefore, ate quickly and without hesitation. Amy noted that she had never had anything that tasted so good, and when the satisfying sensation of being full came upon her, she sighed and tried to figure out where she was.

The girl had been extra quiet, so as not to awake Naomi who seemed so comfortable in her chair, and Amy was quite certain that the girl had stayed up, fretting about her. Therefore, she silently left, not exactly sure what she was looking for.

Naomi didn't stir at all, not until another member of their group entered the room a short while after Amy had disappeared from sight. Arian glanced over to her empty bed in a baffled reaction and then to Naomi who still peacefully slept in that awkward position. He quickly ran to wake her, nudging her shoulder and brushing the hair from her face in an attempt to be peaceful.

"Naomi…" He gently called when she didn't stir. Suddenly, her hand slipped from her chin and her head fell forward only to be stopped as she snorted and pulled herself back. Arian began laughing at her display while she began drowsily looking about.

"Where's Amy?" He asked, a stupid smile still on his face. Naomi blinked a little and looked at him, then to the empty bed, alarm filling her eyes.

"I-I don't know where she's gone to." Naomi's mouth drooped in a sort of awestruck position. "You don't think, anyone could have tak--" Before Naomi could finish, Arian noticed the crumbs and drips of honey that were splattered across her bedside table.

"I think she's fine." He quickly calmed the distressing pirate. "Amy always was a messy eater, look." Naomi laughed, in a sort of relieved and euphoric response. Impulsive conduct took hold of Naomi and she threw herself into Arian's arms with tears of joy attempting to well in her eyes, but she quickly forced herself away, trying to maintain her industrious nature.

"We have to find her." She kept her eyes from further watering and wiped away the evidence of their previous misconduct. Arian couldn't help but laugh for he had never seen the girl in this sort of state, but he certainly took pleasure in her joy.

"Don't worry, we'll find her. The guards wouldn't let her leave the castle, so she should be somewhere nearby." Arian answered. Naomi bit her lip and ran out the door, Arian running after her.

* * *

Link had escaped from breakfast. They had sent Arian back to check on Amy and Naomi, so Link tried to find a way to occupy his time, since Damien and Aura seemed to be absorbed in a very strange conversation that Link just couldn't follow. He left his boots in the castle and headed back out to the moat that lay around the royal home. Turning the corner, he lifted his head to find Amy, with her bare feet already soaking in the cool water. Link was dumbfounded, struck completely speechless, though he continued mindlessly walking towards her. Her back was turned to him, so she remained unaware of his presence.

With his head looking up, Link failed to navigate around a pair of boots that was laying by the bank. He stepped on them and tried to jump back, but his feet were tangled and he found himself falling into the moat. Amy turned upon the loud shout followed by the splash. Link surfaced near her and clumsily pulled himself onto the small stone staircase leading from the deep.

"So uh…" He coughed as some water had gone up his nose. "I'm glad to see you're better." Amy remained where she was, though she had made some room for the now soaked hero who was wringing out his hat and brushing back the long, drenched, blonde locks. Amy smiled, wondering whether or not she should laugh at what had just happened. Link glanced at her suppressed grin and smiled himself. Navi, who had forsaken flying above his head when he fell into the moat, quickly made her way towards him.

"Amy!" Navi swirled around her head. "I'm so glad the blue potion worked. How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine…" Amy let out a small chuckle and cupped her hands, the little blue fairy hovered just inside of them. She looked back to Link, forced a smile with gritted teeth, and looked off into the rushing waters as the smile died.

"So… um… does Naomi know you're here?" He asked, though he truly wanted to ask her about what had happened. Amy shook her head in reply and shrugged her shoulders. A long silence ensued, though not the awkward silence that Link had become accustomed to. This was colder.

"Why are you so quiet?" He asked. Amy looked to him and then back to Navi who had resumed floating about them.

"I--" She struggled to start, thinking of how she could word her feelings. "You don't want me here, do you?" Amy avoided his stare. Link too remained quiet momentarily, for he was grieved by the distress he had caused and would now think carefully on what he said.

"I was wrong to say that earlier… You are important… to Naomi, Aura…" He looked to see that his words weren't having much of an effect on her. "And me too…" She looked back to him, extremely surprised.

"But you _hate_ me!" Amy exclaimed sharply. Link grinned, seeing the old Amy again.

"No! No… ugh…" Link said, suddenly having some déjà vu, remembering a prior conversation with Naomi. "Granted, I know we get on each other's nerves, but… so does Navi, and I still want her around."

"That's right, and I get on his nerves on purpose!" Navi blurted out, making Amy laugh.

"Whu?!" He looked up at the fairy. "Nevermind…" Link shook his head. "Regardless, what I said before. I can tell you now, that I wasn't myself…"

Amy looked to her feet with a tired smile on her face. Relief and sorrow were swirling in her heart and she began pondering her thoughts.

"Alright… I believe you…" She finally announced. Link appeared relieved as well. "I really miss you guys, but…" Amy took in a deep breath. "I have to go…" Link's expression quickly changed to a mixture of horror and confusion.

"What? Why?"

"I…well…" Amy paused, not really wanting to go into a prolonged explanation, "I have some things I need to do." She twisted her mouth, slightly bitter. Link raised his brows.

"You can't get away with being so vague, you know."

"I just, have a… mission." She said for lack of a better term. Link grew frustrated, and surprised Amy by grabbing her shoulder.

"No, I let you come along on my mission to save Hyrule, so I'm going on yours! Whether you like it or not!" He shook her shoulder. "Here's the deal; we're gonna fix whatever problem you have, then we're _all_ going to save Hyrule!"

"The world…" Navi corrected.

"What?"

"The world, Link. We have to save the world."

"F-Fine! We'll save the world." He announced. Their voices were raising.

Amy, feeling rather irritated, pulled her feet out of the water.

"Link! Stop being such a freaking her--Oh!" As she had tried to stand, Link's firm hand had remained on her shoulder, and her abrupt movement had caused him to lose his balance once more, sending him crashing into the cold water and she was pulled along with him. Both surfaced with surprised gasps.

"I'm going to help you!" He shouted, once he thought she could hear.

"FINE!" She screamed, kicking him away. All the commotion caused those searching inside to run out to the source of the noise.

"Amy!" Naomi shouted and began running towards the two wet warriors. "Are you?… uh… okay?" She began laughing at the scene as Amy violently shoved Link's head under the water.

"At least they're back to normal… for them..." Arian said from behind her. Aura, Damien, and Zelda had appeared on the balcony overhanging this part of the castle's moat.

"What's going on?" Aura shouted from overhead. Zelda had a hand to her heart and a passively worrisome appearance on her face.

"He's going to help me!" Amy shouted in an angry fashion. Damien and Aura exchanged confused expressions while Zelda remained in her passively worrisome expression.

* * *

Amy and Link weren't given any time to dry off so the two were making puddles in Zelda's grand dining hall. Naomi paced, Aura stood with arms folded, Damien leaned with arms folded, Arian sat nearby, and Zelda quietly stood before them all.

"Naomi!" Aura snapped at the pacing girl. "Settle down." Naomi merely sighed and crossed her arms.

"I-I can't… there's so much to say that I don't even know where to begin!"

"Then figure out what matters and start with a topic… anything." Damien suggested. Naomi nodded and turned to Amy.

"I want to ask you what happened and why you left, but right now I must tell you why we_need_ you." Naomi pulled forth the old scroll she had taken from the castle's archives. "This is a land treaty, telling us where all of the ancient kingdoms were, the ones that the old man had spoken of, remember? To seal this evil we need the Keybearer, the Guardian, and the blessed four, 'accounting for each of the distinct sects' as the old man said it." All nodded, remembering, though Zelda listened intently, hearing this for the first time. "Well," Naomi started again, very slowly. "I think that we were all destined together from the very beginning, because look around… this might be a leap of faith, but I'm pretty sure that we have everyone we need."

The group did indeed look around, making small notes to themselves, though most looked back to Naomi who realized that she would need to be more specific for some members of the group had a problem with self-doubt, or limited knowledge.

"Damien, you're obviously the guardian, and Link bears the key. Now are the four distinct sects." Naomi began to clarify that as well, "the Nynians, the Draconians, and then two Hyrulians—split between light and dark." The short, copper-haired girl who had taken the center of attention then turned to Amy. "You, you are the Draconian, and I'm sorry I didn't believe you when you told us that your island floated and all, but it was very far-fetched for a girl like me and I suppose I was just too involved in my own problems…" Naomi went a ways with that awkward tangent before realizing that her speech had quickly deteriorated into an apologetic rant. Her face became flushed and she laughed at herself before getting back on track.

"And me, I'm the Nynian." She turned to both Aura and Arian. "Now you two… this may be my farthest leap of faith, but it made sense when I was thinking about it this morning. You two are the Hyrulians; one of light and one of dark, and I'm going to make the _random_ assumption that Arian represents the Dark Hyrulian and Aura the light." Naomi grinned at Arian who quickly made the connection between himself and night along with Naomi's inconspicuous embellishment on the word 'random'.

Damien seemed impressed by her reasoning skills and Naomi blushed in the awing silence, for she could tell by their eyes that all were rendered speechless.

"Well, I don't know about your leap of faith, but Arian does have black hair… and he turns into—." Navi was suddenly cut off.

"A _wonderful_ person once you get to know him!" Naomi almost screamed, bringing the attention back to her awkwardly. "And so now that we have that cleared with everyone, I will ask you, Amy," She became serious once more. "What happened?" All became silent and turned to the dripping and now distressed girl.

"I—." Her throat suddenly became dry and she closed her mouth once more. "I went home, but… it was gone…" The faces of her listeners drooped to a sympathizing expression that only seemed to irritate Amy, but she continued nevertheless, though every word was harder to conjure. "My family got out, and they took some survivors of my island to some sort of safe place, but I don't know where it is. Ignus and I were searching for it—"

"Who's Ignus?" Naomi cut in, though she covered her mouth after realizing that she had rudely interrupted, but Amy didn't seem to mind.

"Uh… my dragon…" She blushed as she realized that she hadn't told anyone that she owned such a creature. After an awing silence and a dry smile, Amy continued. "During our search for my family, we—Ignus and I—thought we saw some other dragons below, so we were going to further investigate…" She rolled her eyes. "I thought we had gotten into a safe hiding place without being seen, but the next thing I knew, a whistle was blown and they were everywhere."

"They?" Naomi also asked, though after making sure Amy was surely finished this time. The poor girl took a deep, shuddering breath at the memory, but forced herself to continue.

"The pirates…" Amy answered. Naomi's throat grew dry and her lips puckered into a subconscious whimper. "They were in this desert-like area, above the lake. We were hiding right before a great bridge, and I was pushed down into the gorge… there was water down there, I remember that…"

"The pirates?" Zelda interjected. She had been struggling to fully comprehend the conversation, but as Amy began her explanation she had begun to follow the story line.

"Gerudo-type women…" Naomi quickly explained with a hint of bitterness in her tone. "How many were there? Did you see dragons with _them_?" She asked quickly, her nose wrinkled into a nervous snarl.

"Many… and yes… they were riding them." Amy said with a combination of shock at Naomi's new persona and bitter remembrance of what Mrs. Cassidy had said. "They had been changed, sort of 'poisoned', or that's how Mrs. Cassidy had described them." Amy looked to her friends. Though none knew of or had heard of her former mentor, they could tell that this woman held such an emotional attachment to Amy, and that forcing her to speak on the matter much more might be too painful.

Link stood, now ready for action.

"Gerudo valley then?" He looked to Amy. She sort of nodded, though she wasn't sure exactly what he was talking about. "I will go and see exactly what we are up against." Damien stood as well, bringing back the original predicament.

"This is beginning to sound all too familiar." His vague statement stopped Link in his tracks and all turned to him, waiting for an elaboration. Damien stood and looked directly to Zelda. He bowed in his disgustingly chivalric manner when he was in the presence of living royalty. "My lady, when this great evil first began to grow in his hatred of us, he fed on our fear and our ignorance, for he knew that knowledge was power. He built up armies of great force in complete silence. We were all completely unaware of his desire to destroy until the first great cities were ravaged and the first of the ancient kingdoms fell." Zelda's features were still carved in stern worry. "By the time we knew we had an enemy to deal with, we had already been weakened and cornered. That was why the great power of good came to our aid."

"So he's trying to gain the variable of astonishment…" Navi uttered. Though the moment had at first been grave, Navi's awkward statement had lightened the mood, for no one knew quite what she meant, save for Naomi who held a mere notion.

"You-you mean the element of surprise?"

"Element, variable… whatever. The point _is_ that it is a very helpful tool!" Navi exclaimed. Most of them laughed very lightly but all agreed with the little fairy.

"True… princess, we might need to act faster than we originally anticipated." Naomi said, surprised that Damien's manner was suddenly impressed on her own. Zelda nodded, coming to fully realize the gravity of the matter.

"First I would like to know what we are up against. Link, you are right to go." Zelda said. "I should leave now immediately and request a sooner audience with the King." She sighed deeply. "Hopefully he will believe me. After all, I am no longer a foolish child with silly dreams. I have an audience of witnesses to present to him now." She grinned faintly. "I shall do my best." She stood, causing everyone else to do so, and then took her leave. Link looked back to the group who had all watched the exiting princess, and he nodded his head before also leaving them, Tatl and Navi both following the hero. Naomi then bit her lip and looked to her comrades before taking off after him.

"Link!" She yelled after him. The hero stopped, this time he didn't feel irritable about it, but merely surprised. Naomi began a quick, polite statement once she saw that she had his attention. "Once more, I am impressed by this course of action, but, compliments aside, I want to go with you, and help you with this."

Link merely stared at her, unsure of what to say. His silent response didn't provide Naomi with any sign that he would agree to this arrangement, so she continued to argue her case.

"I can help you with… gathering information or maybe even finding Amy's dragon, Ignus."

"No…" Link finally said. "I can't put you in danger."

"You won't be putting me there, and besides. I'm the best man-- woman… for the job." Tatl left Navi's side to twirl about Naomi's head.

"How so?" Link asked, wondering why he wasn't considered the best for it, being the hero and all.

"I was _raised_ a pirate. I know how they live, how they fight, and in what manner they act. I know all of their secrets and even have their dress. We can easily dye my hair red and I know how to get by in their world without raising suspicion. I'm _perfect_ for this job." Link contemplated this momentarily, remembering how quickly Amy had gotten caught, but he still didn't want to risk it, however, after spending so much time with this small group, he was beginning to comprehend their inner workings.

"You're going to go no matter what I say… aren't you?" Link asked in a grim tone. Naomi shrugged and nodded.

"Whether you like it or not." She replied.

The remainder of their group joined them in the hall, most of them having overhead the majority of the conversation.

"Maybe we should all work together on this one… you know, as a team for once?" Arian suggested. Link crossed his arms and looked at the motley crew. Each individual had thus far proved helpful in some aspect of their adventure through some strange quirk or talent. Link suddenly found himself believing what Naomi had said about fate, and began understanding their concept of team.

"You're right…" He submitted, to everyone's delighted surprise. "So I guess that means we need a plan?" He looked to Naomi who seemed to enjoy taking control of that matter. She nodded, understanding her charge.

"Give me some time, and we'll meet back out here about an hour before high noon—that is when the guard is changed for the Pirates." Naomi ordered. Link nodded and watched Amy and Aura follow after Naomi while Arian and Damien waited by Link's side for their orders. None truly knew what to expect, even Amy who had merely a hazy memory of what had happened. Each pictured a different kind of scene consisting on the warrior women, a desert, and dragons. Despite the minor differences in visualizations, all visions held a foreboding nature.

* * *

**A/n: What'd you think? Glad she's back?**


	35. Gerudo Likeness

**A/n: Okay! Plot Summary!**

**They are back at the Castle and Link has found Amy. She had been passed out within the river that led into Lake Hylia. Later, she revealed that after leaving her destroyed home, she had been attacked by the Gerudos and Pirates who had somehow tamed her homeland's dragons. The creatures appeared to be under some sort of dark enchantment. Ignus, her own dragon, had been taken captive and ****Amy**** had fallen into the river in the gorge. ****Zelda is going to try and meet with her father, the King, and ****Naomi has a plan to try and retrieve Ignus and discover the master behind the union of**** the Pirates and the Gerudos**

**SORRY ****SORRY****SORRY****: college, that's all I can say. We went to different colleges and didn't get to see each other like at all. That and one of the writers decided to try and be smart and take a but-load of courses (a mistake which shall never again be repeated.)**

**Email will become our new plan of action for creating plot. This is a long chapter, but we love it and did have a great time writing it (but a hard time thinking of it.). We hope you like it and enjoy reading it. Hopefully we'll ****be**** better about writing faster. We are so grateful for all those who will continue reading.**

**wolfdemon2010: Um, we didn't actually say how she got back from the other world, but we'll assume that it is the same way she got there the first time until we go back and correct it… you know, when that other dragon and Terrin brought her. ****Other than that, the rest should be explained in the above ****summary,**** sorry the last chapter was confusing. I hope this one is better. Thank you for your support and comments. They are very helpful.**

**Jell: Thank you for your enthusiasm. It makes me smile and think of jelly beans. ****Mmmm**** jelly beans. **

**Here it is, FINALLY

* * *

**

**Chapter 35: Gerudo Likeness**

Zelda the beautiful and powerful princess floated down the castle hall toward the throne room where she knew that he father was currently involved in some business—as he always was. With one hand clutched to her chest, she reached for the elaborately adorned handle upon the large wooden doors, but before a single creak could escape from its hinges, the royal advisor placed a hand on the door and stood to address her.

Facing this short and rounded advisor, Zelda shrank to a child. The five foot man stared up at her but the look in his eyes created the illusion that he stared down to her.

"What do you think you're doing?" He questioned before she was given a chance to speak. Zelda moved her lips as if to reply as she gracefully pulled her free hand to cup the other for comfort and backed away from him, achieving a suitable distance so that she might compose herself more properly. Despite this beautiful front, she was unable to say anything before the advisor announced his own reasoning for such a confrontation.

"Dear princess, your father loves you dearly, but if he does not address the issues of the Kingdom, then he cannot ensure either your safety or your future wellbeing. You know that." He scolded.

"That I do, but I enter on behalf of the Kingdom. We _are_ in grave danger." She spoke curtly, struggling desperately to regain her respectful appearance despite his patronizing voice and stare.

"My princess, I assure you that if anything _were_ amiss in the Kingdom, that your father would be one of the first to know about it. I hate to bring up the past, but remember how your tiff with Ganondorf and the Gerudos ended? Nothing bad happened despite the fact that you were resolute that Ganondorf was a harbinger of destruction. We are now on good relations with the Gerudos and that Ganondorf of yours seems to have disappeared on some sort of quest—is there anything bad in that?"

Zelda shook her head, knowing that while the advisor had good intentions, there was no possible way that he would be willing or able to see the truth. It was rather inconceivable to believe that a pampered and sheltered princess would be informed of an oncoming disaster before the Hylian guards. Zelda sighed deeply and continued her attempt at a compromise.

"Please, Lord Kremel, I assure you that this is not my longing to see my father. Of course I want to see him, but I do have very important _business_ to discuss with him and I have witnesses who will present troubling information about a grave threat to the kingdom." Zelda emphasized the word she knew would appeal to her audience. Kremel did pause a moment to ponder and rub his rounded chin.

"I have no doubt that this business is very important, and I give you my deepest sympathies, really, I do. But, your father, the Royal Highness, has the dire need to build our kingdom's wealth and therefore the relations with the surrounding tribes. This is all for the sake of the Kingdom and for _your_ sake." Kremel started, but this only disheartened the princess more. The round advisor did have a heart in his robust body, so he felt sorrow in the princess's mournful disappointment.

"My princess," He began after a sigh, breathing a different tone. "I will do my best to pull some strings to move one of his appointments to a later date. I do believe his dinner meeting in three days will be fairly flexible—it is not as dire a matter as others—merely a small matter over inheritance disputes in Kakariko. I might, and I mean _might_, be able to convince them to postpone the meeting for three weeks, but I am not promising anything." Zelda smiled faintly, for this could hardly be considered a victory.

"Many thanks, Lord Kremel. I do appreciate your kindness and understanding of my urgency." Zelda answered with a lack of sincerity and a hint of sarcasm, but Kremel didn't seem to catch on. He bowed with a proud smile as the princess exited.

Meanwhile, Naomi was preparing for her current mission. She was busy with scissors, needle and thread, altering old curtains and other fabrics. Aura, who had presently entered the room, looked over the young pirate's shoulder curiously.

"Naomi, what are you doing?" She asked bluntly, startling the girl, but she quickly went back to her work.

"I'm making two other Pirate uniforms." The answer came whilst her hands briskly manipulated the fabric and thread. Aura raised a brow and struggled to find a response.

"Why?" Seemed the most obvious question, because she didn't believe the reasons that first came to mind.

"Because you and Amy are going to dress in disguise with me." Naomi replied without straying from her work.

"What?" Aura laughed and crossed her arms. She shook her head and continued to smile at Naomi's optimism. "You haven't even taken our measurements and you're forgetting one very important detail."

"I don't need to take your measurements. After years of making these outfits efficiently I have been trained to eyeball the correct size, and what am I forgetting?" Naomi asked this very quickly and with limited tone, merely because she was focused on her work. Aura answered in the same manner, for she was also focused on watching Naomi work the purple fabric into a pant leg that did indeed quickly take the generic shape of these unique women's clothing.

"None of us are red-headed, I'm pretty sure they'll notice that."

"Don't worry, I already have that figured out. There's some red potion in the cellar—apparently it has healing properties, but it should also work well for temporarily dying our hair." Naomi answered, proud that she had already come up with the solution to that problem. Aura shrugged her shoulders and nodded her head but she still wasn't bought by the idea.

"I still don't know. Why can't it just be you, I mean you're already comfortable wearing this… um… attire and walking around like those… um… women." Aura hadn't really considered the Gerudos or Pirates as women since what she had seen of them had come off as more gender non-specific. Naomi nodded in mindless understanding while she finished the hemming of the pant legs.

"It would be better to have three of us searching the grounds for whatever information we can find. We can also each hold a prisoner, or one of us can keep watch." Naomi answered. "The more eyes we have, the better." Aura looked to the sky and sighed.

"Yeah I guess. I just wish we didn't have to dress for the occasion." Aura again sighed heavily. "I don't wanna be a red-head." Naomi laughed.

"The funny thing is that my whole life, I just wanted to blend in with them, and now that I don't care, I think I'll actually be able to pass with a disguise."

"How do you know they won't pay attention to us? I mean, what if we do something un-Pirate like?" Aura voiced her worries. Naomi nodded, for that had been her concern as well.

"That's why I'm using older cloth; the curtains and such. Satins and silks are reserved only for those of a higher rank, and therefore we will be considered of lower rank and unimportant. That is the way with Pirates at any rate, and who knows? Maybe with the meshing of the Pirates and the Gerudos, the Pirates will think we're Gerudos and vice versa." Aura nodded.

"Yeah, that's true…maybe we won't die a horribly painful death."

"That's the spirit." Naomi said joyfully but as she thought on Aura's words she was wondering if that had been the proper reaction.

* * *

The girls had been locked in Naomi's room for hours. Link sat outside with Arian while Damien tried to pass the time by drinking with the guards. The green clad hero was about to yawn when a screeching sound startled him.

"My _HAIR_!" The scream resounded. Link's eyes widened.

"Where have I heard that before?" He muttered. Arian groaned and rolled over on the floor; the scream had woken him from his nap. The blue fairy circled around him before returning to Link.

"Come on Link, don't you remember? Amy screamed that same way when you thought she was stealing your sword." Navi said. She sighed deeply. "Ah, fond memories. You'll be telling that story to your grandchildren one day…"

"Who said I'll have grandchildren?"

"Psshh."

"What?"

Navi said nothing.

"Okay…" Link shook his head while Arian let out a faint laugh, his eyes remained closed. Yet another angry shout startled them. Arian now gave up trying to sleep and shot to a sitting position at the sound.

"What is going on in there?" He asked Link while they both stared at the door. Aura's complaining voice could be heard.

"Do you _have_ to pull so hard?!" She shrieked just as Damien came walking to the door holding a foaming mug. He nodded and took a swig.

"Hmm… sounds like fun…" He drawled. "What'd I miss?" Link's eye began to twitch.

"More of this… and more waiting." A loud thud resounded and Naomi's sharp voice penetrated the wood.

"Sit down Aura! Amy, stop trying to wash it out of your hair… and would you please tie that thing correctly? GOODNESS!"

The men sat in silence for a moment. Link finally took the initiative to speak.

"Okay, that's it. I'm investigating this." He said as he stood. Damien looked at the door and back to the hero with an arched brow.

"Well, that's a first. You normally run at the sound of a woman's rage." He said coolly. Link stared at him momentarily but shook away the comment. He stepped up beside Damien and unthinkingly reached for the knob. The moment he opened the door, Link was greeted with an awkward scene.

Amy stared back at him rigidly, her face not very far from his. It appeared that she had been trying to escape, only to be stopped short. Her now glaring red hair was in the vice grip of Naomi's hand. Only one hand could hold Amy as the pirate girl had the other one holding down the end of a braid bound tightly to the side of Aura's head. Therefore, she stood in between Aura, who sat stiffly in a chair, and Amy at the door with her arms stretched to the limit. A rigid and exasperated air was evenly distributed throughout the room. In addition, they were each dressed in the revealing garb of the Gerudos. All three girls had stricken looks on their faces and were breathing heavily. A beat of silence passed.

"Yeah, I like this plan. This is a good plan." Damien broke the silence, a lazy smirk on his face. Naomi rolled her eyes and released the Draconian's ponytail to return to tightly braiding one side of Aura's head. It was quite a wild hairstyle; one half of her hair was spiked out while the other half was tightly bound in rows of braids. Link stared for a moment, but then realized that he was blocking Amy's escape route. She coughed awkwardly and turned around, but Link could have sworn he saw a blush across her cheeks. She returned to her seat soberly.

"Ow! Why in _Hyrule_ do you have to pull that hard?!" Aura screamed again, only this time their three male companions understood what was happening.

"Because otherwise it wouldn't be convincing. You are a guard, you are used to pain!" Naomi's mantra irked Aura.

" 'You're a guard', 'you're used to pain,' well why don't _you_ be the guard then!"

"I'm sorry, I made the clothes to fit _you_, and I can't exactly style this hair on my own head—it's impossible. Plus, I'm not the right build. The guards are more muscular and…"

"Are you calling me manly?!" Aura accused. Naomi yanked her hair, eliciting a scream. The male bystanders glanced to each other for emotional support, as none of them understood any of this.

"No-no…. Aura, just be quiet… it'll be over soon." She sighed out, and much to Aura's relief it _was_ over soon. Naomi finished tying the last braid just as Amy whined again.

"Can I go now?" She sounded like a toddler. Naomi let out a harsh sigh.

"Fine! Go get your sword…"

Amy stood and headed back towards the doorway that Link still occupied. She stood in front of him passively, waiting for him to move. Link, however, felt the need to encourage her.

"Well.. um.. if it makes you feel any better, I don't think your hair looks _bad_." He said quietly. Amy stared at him, shock written on her face. She recovered quickly though.

"Yes it does! I look like my head's on _fire_!" She growled tiredly.

"Well at least you don't look like a _HORSE_!!" Aura yelled angrily, seeing herself in the mirror for the first time.

"Well," Damien cut in, "at least your face isn't horse-like." He turned his head to the side and looked her up and down, admiring the Gerudo attire. Aura returned a scathing, but bewildered glare. "And your body is pretty… well …"

"Damien! _Why_ are you still talking?" She asked sharply and stormed back to Naomi's side. Damien, however, was not deterred. He grinned and took another swig.

"Don't worry Aura, I'll let you beat him later." Naomi encouraged in a tired manner. Damien stopped himself from taking another drink. "By the way, one of you will need to be a watchman who remains at a safe distance and the other two can be prisoners. That way if we're all taken captive, then we have someone who can report back to the princess. Then maybe we'd have a chance at being saved before we're killed."

"On _that_ note…" Amy started. She was still standing in front of Link and now gazed back to him with a less intimidated expression. "Could you move? I need to get my sword." Link nodded and scuffled out of her way. A smirk appeared on his face but he kept it hidden as he turned his head away.

* * *

The bright sand reflected the sunlight, but Arian was still able to see down the gorge to the Gerudo's keep. Using a special scope borrowed from the castle, he got an up close view of the small band that approached the wooden bridge, just before this gorge. Tatl floated above his head while Arian pulled the scope from his eye and sighed. He felt the urge to complain but Tatl beat him to the punch.

"Man, if I weren't so bad at Fairy-Sticks then _I_ would be inside of Link's potato sack and not Navi!" The sack she referred to draped over the faux prisoner's head. Damien had one as well, but the reasoning behind such a degrading disguise was to keep Link from being recognized from his previous capture.

Arian nodded and rolled his eyes at Tatl's comment. He was appointed watchman as well, but this reasoning was based on his lack of swordsmanship, not on a fairy's game. After rubbing his eye, he replaced the scope and watched the three girls approach, holding Damien and Link at spear-point.

Amy stood behind Link, his sword now in her possession. She kept her expression stern despite her nervousness. Not only was she still uncomfortable with her attire, but this place brought back a rather terrible memory of her and Ignus' surprise ambush.

Damien was at the mercy of Aura, who now took pleasure in making him move by either kicking or stabbing him. Her revenge for his prior words created a believable scene, making Naomi's job very easy.

The girl addressed the guard at the gate with the traditional greeting of her people. The guard bowed her head in return.

"We found these Hylian soldiers snooping around. I was told to throw them in a cell until further instruction." Naomi said with a snarl implanted on her face. Without a word, the Gerudo soldier stepped out of the way and let the group pass.

"Come on runt!" Aura shouted and kicked Damien's heels. He stumbled forward, muttering curses under his breath. Aura smiled deviously.

"_Runt_?" He growled to himself. His "guard" was enjoying this far too much. Amy, on the other hand, seemed afraid to touch Link's back with her spear. However, after receiving a harsh glare from one of the guards, she pressed the tip between his shoulder blades. He jerked abruptly, but complied and picked up his pace.

As the five of them walked in, they took in the scene. There were both Gerudo and Pirate guards stationed throughout the place. There were many groups of the women milling about, moving things and forming piles of weapons. Noises assailed the intruders from all directions. As soon as Naomi was sure that the guards' attention was elsewhere, she turned to her companions. She did not say anything however, for she knew that they were already being regarded with suspicion.

Wordlessly, they made their way towards the large barracks. Huge mixed groups of Gerudos and Pirates trained in the courtyard, their battle cries sent chills down Damien's back. Naomi led them on, and after a moment's hesitation, chose a random doorway. She had learned from Link that each barracks contained some sort of prison, and after observing that their known captive was not in the courtyard or with the other dragons, she assumed that Amy's Ignus must have been put into one of those prisons.

As soon as they entered, Naomi ran ahead of them and looked around. To her surprise, there were no Gerudos stationed at either end of the hallway. Returning to them, she nodded to Amy and Aura. Wordlessly, they removed the sacks from their prisoners' heads. Damien quickly stepped away from Aura, his eyes narrowed. He held out his hand, and Aura handed him his sword, Sol Reprisal, while rolling her eyes.

Navi flew out from the Link's potato sack and floated silently as he took his sword from Amy. The four looked to Naomi, and she gave a quick, curt nod.

The five of them split up. Damien tried to run to Link's side, sending a sneer at Aura, who chose to stay with Naomi, but she grabbed the back of his tunic and dragged him along. Amy had mindlessly followed Link, and neither seemed to notice the sudden disappearance of Damien as they quickly turned the corner.

* * *

Arian and Tatl still sat out in the blistering sun. He grinned when he saw that the company had successfully entered the lair without raising much suspicion, but he remained anxious. Tatl, however, was very blasé about the whole ordeal, floating calmly above his head in an irritating fashion.

"Would you do something… o' I dunno, _useful_?" Arian snapped, as the heat and stress were getting to him. Tatl didn't seem to mind being snapped at, instead she replied curtly.

"Like what? Dance for you?"

Arian rolled his eyes.

"Maybe you could patrol the perimeter. Make sure no Gerudos are heading my way, or try to find some helpful information. I mean, you _are_ small and can fly." He answered smartly before looking back into the spy-glasses.

"Fine then…" Tatl complied and went in search of being useful. Now Arian watched for his friends to exit the sandstone buildings alone. He once more drifted into worry for them, but he also looked towards the northern mountains, over which his old home stood. A strange mix of sorrow and anger washed over him and he remained glad that he was no longer a habitant of Minirith. His thoughts were interrupted by Tatl's squeak.

"Hey, there's an old man inquiring after you!" She exclaimed. "Hey!" Arian's brow creased in surprised confusion and he pulled himself from his hiding spot, jumping down to where Tatl floated above a fatigued elder. It was neither the mysterious old man from the prior journey nor was it Jabono, the old man who fathered Aura. This man was new and one whom Arian had no recollection of.

"Are you sure he inquired after me?" He question and began tending to him, pulling out his flask of water for the exhausted newcomer to drink.

"Positive. He knew your name." Arian stared to him in curious wonder as he passed out after only a few sips.

* * *

Amy had become nervous when she realized that she had inadvertently run off to Link's side again. She wondered if he was growing tired of her following him around, however, he seemed to be very preoccupied with their current mission. She was afraid to make any sudden movements, for she wondered if Link even knew that she was the only one behind him. However, in her blatant attempt to keep quiet, she stumbled over her two feet.

Link turned to her, a look of confusion on his face. He quirked a brow at her sheepish appearance.

" Where's Damien?" He whispered. Amy shrugged. Link simply nodded and turned back around. They continued down a dark corridor, when Link suddenly jerked to a stop. Amy ran into him, as she was busy watching her feet, but Link didn't seem to notice. In a split second, he grabbed her shoulders and shoved the two of them into a dark corner.

Amy was about to protest, but stopped when she saw the intent expression on his face as he looked out. She glanced around him and saw a room full of both Gerudos and Pirates. The sight caused her to choke on her own spit. The women were currently engaged in conversation, while drinking large mugs of ale.

"Never have I tasted something as glorious as Pirate ale!" A Gerudo declared joyously.

"We should have joined forces long ago. We make excellent allies." Another woman concurred. The group all murmured sentiments of agreement, and they all clinked their mugs together genially.

"Who could have known that there was another group similar to ours that shares our intense hatred of men?" A woman, possibly a Gerudo, queried. A rather boisterous Pirate spoke up.

"Yes, I suppose little Naomi had been trying to hide this important discovery from us. Let us hope for a quick and merciless end to that betrayer's life!" She downed her entire drink without batting an eyelash. Amy shuddered and turned to Link, who was still listening intently.

"What should we do?" She whispered as quietly as possible. Link turned to her for a moment, and then looked back into the room. Amy detected a mischievous look on his face before he turned away. Without a moment's hesitation, Link quickly pulled out a mechanical contraption that looked similar to the living bomb-cat things that the group had encountered outside of Clocktown. He placed it against the wall as it began to slowly blink red.

Amy's eyes widened into saucers as she watched the contraption travel up the wall and into the room. Loud exclamations followed its entry.

"What is that thing?"

"It's a BOMBACHU!"

"A what?"

"You fool! It's a BOMBACH-" The Gerudo's voice was cut off by a loud explosion. The room was silent as smoke poured out into the hallway.

"I love those things." Link said with a roguish grin. Amy pushed out of the corner and stared into the room with a trembling mouth and wide eyes.

"You… You _killed_ them!" She yelled, "I know they were talking about Naomi's untimely death, but… you IDIOT! YOU'RE A MURDERER!! A FILTHY-!" Link put his gloved hand over her mouth calmly and grasped her shoulder while pushing her through the room littered with bodies.

"Don't worry about it. Do you see that sparkling dust over their heads?" Amy looked around them, noticing white sparkles floating over each woman's head and nodded woodenly.

"Well, that means that they'll wake up in a minute. They'll go right back to what they were doing before, and have _no_ recollection of what had just occurred." He pushed Amy up a flight of stone steps and through an archway that led outside. As they exited, Amy heard their voices again.

"Are you _sure_ it was a bombachu?"

"I- Well… What _were _we talking about?"

"Um… Oh! That accursed Naomi!"

* * *

"Curses, Naomi!" Damien exclaimed when they found yet another empty cell. "I thought you _knew_ this place!"

"No, I said that I knew how to get around in this society! I've never actually been to the Gerudo domain."

"Well, you could've been a little clearer." Damien grumbled. "Where is that stupid over-grown lizard?"

"Hush you, get your potato sack back on; I hear people coming." Damien rolled his eyes but did as he was told. Naomi stood guard at the gate while Aura pretended to shove Damien into the empty cell.

"We'll take care of you later! If we can remember a worthless piece of scum like you!" She shouted as several other guards passed them by. They seemed impressed. Damien wondered if Aura's act possibly contained any serious undertones.

The women left and the two girls opened the cell while Damien removed the sack.

"Scum, eh?" He muttered. Aura grinned.

"Don't worry, I was referring to your mother."

Naomi laughed while she closed the cell and Damien shot Aura an irate glare.

"Come on, you two. I will assume that there is another cell nearby."

Her assumption proved true. The final cell was in a rather difficult place to reach, which is why Naomi figured there must be a prison of some sort within it. However, with the combined efforts of all three, they were able to make their way inside.

"How do we even know that Ignus is in a cell?" Aura finally asked. Naomi realized that she hadn't explained her logic.

"We passed by the barracks where they kept the dragons on the way here. Since I didn't see a dragon of Amy's description, I assumed that he would be in a cell of some sort." She quietly explained while peaking around a corner. There were more guards stationed in the room and Naomi began wondering how they might get by them this time. An idea came to her as she saw a hint of smoke billowing out of the distant room followed by a low, beast-like groan.

"Damien, put the bag back on your head." She demanded. Damien grumbled and quickly put the bag on with an angry and muffled exclamation. "Follow my lead." She said and led Damien directly towards the Gerudo guard.

"I brought some food for the beast." Naomi said with a sadistic sneer. The guard was surprised at first, but once she saw that the food was a man, she allowed them passage.

The three approached a pit covered by latched bars, and deep within it was a smaller version of the great dragons. Despite being so small in dragon terms, he still stood much taller than the Hylian horses.

"Here is a meal for the beast, since we have run out of cells." Naomi said with a laugh.

"Truly?"

"Yes, there was a group of nosy travelers earlier this morning. They have just filled the last one." The guard nodded and Ignus, the dragon in the pit, took notice of the new noises, and even some new smells. He perked up, recognizing the scent of his owner on these three.

"He _does_ appear hungry." The guard said, noticing the beast's new demeanor and wondering why they were stalling. Naomi grinned and nodded, walking over to the pit and holding Damien at spear-point.

"What are you doing?" Damien mumbled, a little nervous. Naomi's eyes became a little wide.

"I hadn't really thought it through past this point…"

The guard unlatched the pen and came to Naomi's side. Aura was now also very uncomfortable.

"It will be a good last meal. The king was going to change him tonight. Enjoy your freedom while you can." The woman addressed the beast. She turned to Naomi. "Why do you tease him?" She shoved Damien into the pit and both Naomi and Aura screamed, destroying their disguise.

"I should have known!" The guard growled and drew out a sword. Naomi was quick to draw a sword too while Aura ran to the pit's edge, tears welling in her eyes.

"Ignus, don't hurt Damien!" She pleaded, wondering if a beast would understand. Ignus spread out his wings, the hold now open and the guard now occupied with Naomi. He flew up and opened his jaws, grabbing Damien and causing Aura to shout again.

Naomi stopped her sword fight as Ignus landed in the room with them, his wings spread out and Damien struggling in his jaws. The dragon spit him onto the floor and Damien quickly removed the sack to reveal his stricken and sweating expression. Aura came to his side and gave him a large hug, though he still stared nervously at the dragon.

Naomi's preoccupation with the now freed Ignus kept her from retaliating as the guard lunged towards her, but Ignus was ready to help. With one sweep of his tail, he knocked the lowly guard into his old pen and then latched the bars.

"Ride, ride!" Ignus growled. Naomi smiled and jumped onto his back and Aura urged Damien to follow. Once the three were situated, Ignus created an exit through the roof by bashing his great horns against the stone. It crumbled easily.

The dragon made quite a sight as he escaped, bursting from his hold. All looked to him in surprise, but he quickly made an escape.

As such an incidence occurred, Amy was able to watch this from the opposite side, also standing on the roof. Link stood behind her, mouth agape.

"Well uh… there's Ignus…" Amy said, dumbfounded. "Couldn't stop and ask for directions, now could we?" She said, turning to Link.

"From who?" Link crossed his arms. "I thought I knew this place." He saw a fallen wall near them. "Hey, Arian and I did that." He reminisced. Amy turned back to him and slapped his shoulder.

"Focus." She said. "Ignus has a full load. I'll tell him to go on." She went silent momentarily. Link stared at her, and after a moment, he too slapped her on the shoulder.

"Focus." He began mockingly, but became weak as he noticed several Gerudo soldiers running up to him. Amy opened her eyes and dropped her mouth, forgetting that she was disguised as one of them.

Link was very surprised to find that they had not blown their whistle.

"My Lord Devoren, what should we do?" The woman inquired about Ignus. Link was dumbfounded, but Navi floated near his ear and out of sight.

"_Nothing,__ let him go." _She whispered.

"Nothing, let him go." Link reiterated.

"What?"

"_He is not important to us. __Only the mission."_

"He is not important to us, only the… mittens—mission." Link added a little flair this time, despite his slip.

_"Don't you remember what the mission is?"_

"Don't you… remember what the mission… is?" Link began to falter as he noticed that a large amount of Gerudos now stood behind the woman. Amy looked around with shifty eyes.

"Yes, we won't need that little runt for the invasion."

"Invasion?" Amy broke character, but such a break wouldn't have made a difference as the coming group saw through Link's disguise.

"That is not our leader!" Cried out the dark-eyed Aveil. "Get them!"

"Well… crap." Amy uttered, taking a step towards Link after noticing that Ignus had disappeared over the mountains. "Link, I'm going to have to ask you to trust me."

"What? Um… yeah, okay." He said without really thinking. He had his hand on the hilt of his sword and turned his back to Amy. While normally he would raise up his hands at the sound of their whistle, this time he was ready for battle.

The warrior women dropped their flanks and partially began a retreat and Link wondered if he truly appeared that threatening. Suddenly, Amy's hands wrapped around him, under his arms. He was shocked by what he thought might be a random act of affection, but suddenly he felt himself lifting from the rooftop and heard the beating of wings. He craned his neck to see that Amy had grown great dragon wings and her red eyes were glowing like living embers. Link was speechless and Navi was impressed.

"Alright!" She exclaimed. "To Hyrule!" They flew higher in the sky and the Gerudos were now almost too small to see. Link was silent as Amy carried him through the rushing winds. She looked out and could make out Arian's small form on the great cliffs before them.

"I'm going over to Arian now." Amy called over the beating of her wings. Link only nodded mutely, still in shock. As they flew closer, they saw that Arian was not alone. He was knelt over another figure. Navi yelled out to Tatl as they landed.

"Hey, loser!" she referred to their game of fairy sticks.

"Hey, ugly." Tatl replied spitefully.

Amy released Link and stepped away from him. Arian walked over to them, a surprised, but pleased look on his face. He glanced over Amy's now transformed appearance and Link's shaken surprise.

"Well, at least I'm not the only weird one." He said with a wry smile. He turned to Amy. "I saw the whole thing. You guys looked like you were in some trouble."

"Y-yeah." Link finally found his voice. "They thought I was Devoren, their lord, and so they were asking me what to do. They mentioned something about… an invasion." He paused, catching his breath for a moment longer. "But that pirate Aveil saw through our disguises and Amy.." He turned to her, trailing off.

"I.. I hope I didn't scare you." She muttered sheepishly, a blush on her face. "I was just… it was the only thing I could think of." Her eyes weren't glowing anymore, but her wings were still folded behind her back.

This short reunion was interrupted by Ignus, crawling up the other side of the cleft. He trotted to Amy as their other three companions trailed after him. The reunion of dragon and owner was sweet as Ignus nuzzled Amy and she kissed his snout.

"I'm so glad you're okay." Amy told him.

"I'm so glad he didn't _eat_ me…" Damien glared at Naomi who sheepishly smiled back.

"Well, I'll be glad if we can get out of here… wow…" Aura started and then looked at Amy and the old man on the ground. "Umm… So I missed a lot… Amy has wings and somebody killed that random old guy…"

"He's not dead…" Arian said confused. "Tatl found him, he seems to be lost. Maybe we should take him back to Castletown."

"We ought to do it fast, the Gerudo's are rounding up their dragons." Tatl said. All nodded and Ignus allowed for all save Amy to ride upon his back. Amy flew by his side. They headed to Castletown where they hoped to find refuge and a great army to defend against any such invasion as Link had been informed of.

* * *

**A/n: Please R&R. Do you forgive us? Please…**


	36. The King's Word

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* * *

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A/n: This took a while too, but it's an even longer chapter and has some interesting background stories that we enjoyed thinking of. And thank you reviewers for helping us reach the big 100

**th**** review, congratulations Silverdark Knight, you ARE the 100****th**** reviewer. You've won our congratulatory appreciation… sorry, that's all we can give. Still, thanks to all of you for giving us so much support. This story is for you guys! **

**Laura Jell: I hope your contacts don't dry up through these last ten or so chapters, because I think that they're all going to be about this long, though some might not take up quite this much time. :P I love adventurness too and I'm glad you liked it!**

**Lalalanerd: Sorry, Amy kind of explains it here and then someone will further explain it later. But yes, we mean to leave you all partially in the dark about that. Thank you for reading.**

**Wolf demon 2010: That was a cool theory, but you'll find out the truth now! Glad you liked it and hope this one's just as good.**

**The Silverdark Knight: I hope this was quick enough and yes, we remember those good old days too. We only lived five minutes from each other and would walk to a park to discuss what would happen and how. Now it's a little harder, but we're both so determined to finish that it will always at least continue, even at a snails pace. Yes, we are proofreading, even out loud, but mess ups can still happen. I find that you need at least four pairs of fresh eyes to catch all the mistakes. Thank you for your support and I hope you continue to enjoy the read. 100****th**** reviewer yeah!**

**Here it is**

* * *

**Chapter 36: The King's Word**

The true Devoren entered the scene a moment too late, after all had escaped over the mountain to Hyrule Castletown. He now rode upon a horse with pitch black eyes and coat, and smoke curling from its flared nostrils. Fear had found a new form. The skullkid and Nit weren't far behind. The dark fairy had grown attached to the mischievous forest child as she had grown detached from Devoren.

He approached Aveil, who recognized him despite his new appearance.

"I was just about to send dragon riders after them." She hissed and sent out another signal. Devoren countered it.

"They are already near the castle… It is too late either way. We can hope that they are dismissed for their notions or else our secret will be revealed either by them or by us flying after them. Still, they will never know the full extent of my plans until it is too late, so we have no need to fear." He looked down to his horse with a humor in his tone. "So what other news do you wish to tell me?" He asked with a sneer, for he found that several other warrior women were busy cleaning and re-building.

"Those that escaped, my lord." Aveil began. "They were the ones we have been after, including our own miscreant." She said. "One of them had your form, and was mistaken for you by one of our lesser guards, but no vital information was revealed and she has been punished. These Gerudo's didn't know your new form, they only knew that you had similarities to the boy in green they had here a few weeks passed." Devoren remained silent for a moment and composed himself.

"I am beginning to think that you will be more disappointing than my former general." He replied mockingly. Aveil didn't flinch.

"Nay, sir. _I_ am still alive."

"That has yet to sway my position." Devoren brushed past her. It appeared that this remark had shaken her. A scowl washed across her face and she began barking orders.

* * *

They flew high above the castle, hidden by the clouds, and landed above the Great Fairy's Fountain in the far corner of the courtyard. There, Amy became her old self again, wings disappearing and eyes becoming a slightly less piercing red color. In addition, strange, glowing red markings disappeared from around her wrist. Naomi, Arian, Damien, and Aura dismounted Ignus, leaving the strange desert man on the dragon's back.

"So this is a new development." Damien started, noting Amy's change. She blushed.

"Yes… I-I'm still not sure what to think of it myself." She shrugged. "It happened on my island, when I returned the jewel to the sacred mountain."

"It makes sense." Damien said. He reined Ignus and began walking him towards the castle. Everyone stared at him with a little surprise.

"It makes sense?" Naomi questioned. "Sprouting wings after returning a stone; granted it was magical, but how does it make sense?"

"I guess I wasn't clear when I said that I had been there the first time. I was just a soldier at the time, but I remember that the true Draconians had more dragon-like features… I guess that's why I didn't catch on to Amy's heritage from the start, granted I was a little suspicious, what with the red eyes and all." He explained, but stopped to placate one of the castle guards who became a fearful at the sight of Ignus.

"He's my dragon, don't worry." Amy explained. The guard uneasily let them through as he remembered every member of this group, save for the dragon and the unconscious man.

"Either way, now the enemy knows we have a true-blooded Draconian, and it's apparent that he's already starting to invade." Damien added. Naomi nodded grimly.

"Oh thank _goodness_ you all are alright!" Zelda's high-pitched voice broke through the group's reverie. "I was _so _worried!" She walked up to them briskly. Link couldn't help rolling his eyes.

"Zelda, you never seemed that worried about me whenever I went off on one of your 'favors'." He said wryly from beside Damien. Navi piped up.

"Yeah! And usually those _favors_ turned out to be long, drawn out, life-threatening missions which involved slaying some great beast or defeating an evil boss, which almost always involved me having to drag Link's half-dead body out of-" Link held up his hand to stop Navi, his eye twitching. Amy snickered silently along with Aura. Zelda seemed unfazed by their words and continued.

"Yes, yes, but I knew what I was getting you into at those times. However, I didn't know how the entire group would fare; you all left without saying goodbye!" She looked at the group and took in their state. "I guess you all were successful th- oh!" Ignus startled her. Her shaking hand rested on her bosom.

"Oh, yeah, about that… this is Ignus… Amy's dragon." Link stuttered awkwardly. "He's the one we were trying to rescue." Zelda nodded mutely, her eyes as wide as dinner plates. Ignus seemed irritated at everyone's horrified reaction to him, and Amy stroked his side comfortingly.

"Please don't be afraid of him. He's my companion and my friend… He's like… how Epona is to Link." She defended the gentle beast. Naomi stepped up beside Amy and placed a hand under Ignus' chin and rubbed him lovingly, causing him to purr.

"Amy is right, and Ignus has really proven to be quite a hero." The pirate girl spoke confidently and reassuringly to Amy.

Zelda nodded and let out a tired sigh. "Alright. I'm sorry, I was just startled. I…" She stopped for a moment and peered at Ignus with narrowed eyes. "Who is that worn-looking old man on his back?" There was a long silence, and nobody spoke. Just as it was beginning to get unbearably awkward, Damien looked over and elbowed Arian. The boy had been asleep on his feet.

"Wh-What now?" He replied, startled. The poor boy-turned-beast hadn't had a decent night's sleep due to either dramatic occurrences such as Amy's return, or hiding from Aura. Damien reiterated Zelda's query. Arian yawned sleepily and finally replied.

"Oh, he is um… well… I found him. I don't really know who he is, but he looked exhausted so I decided to come to his aid." He scratched his head for a moment. "I figured he would have died out there in the desert if I hadn't helped him."

"He surely would have." Naomi agreed, examining her new patient. "He is probably dehydrated, which might be why he passed out. That or the heat."

"He wasn't a prisoner of the Gerudos?" Zelda inquired. Arian shook his head.

"No, Ignus was, and it sounds like we got him out right in the nick of time." Aura answered. "They were going to 'change' him that evening." She informed Amy, which prompted her to hug his scaly but warm neck.

"Come in. Tell me what you saw in Gerudo Valley." Zelda ordered, realizing that such important information would be better discussed over tea.

"Okay, just one second." Amy said and ran to a place where she could reach the moat waters. She dunked her hair in and began scrubbing. The red coloring came out quickly and left with the moat's current. Naomi agreed that now would also be a good time to do the same, but Aura stopped her.

"Hang on, Naomi, could you take these accursed things down, they're giving me a headache!" Naomi laughed and untied two knots which released her hair so that she could unbraid it. All quickly did as Amy had and then rejoined the group with dripping hair. The process was faster than the awkward silence that exhumed as Zelda stared at them.

"Okay, let's go inside." Naomi started them and walked Ignus across the drawbridge. The rest followed.

Naomi and Arian were excused from the discussion to tend to the strange man. Aura had sighed when they left, as the group would be without one of the original three rooms, giving one to their sickly newcomer.

Once more, water was boiling and Naomi was tending to a bed-ridden person. This time, however, she used the left over red potion from the hair dye. She poured some of the potion into a small cup and delicately lifted the man's head.

"This will at least wake him long enough to get some water to drink and tell us what happened." Naomi told Arian who stood over her shoulder.

"Do you need any of the boiling water?" He asked her. She shrugged.

"Honestly, it sort of just helps me think…" Naomi admitted with a blush. He grinned stupidly and shook his head.

"You amaze me." His attention returned to the third person once he realized the old man was waking. However, it appeared a very slow and painful process. This strange man's skin was dark and rough from years in the sun. Some curly black hair still remained atop his head and across his chin, but most had grown into a rich gray. Unlike the other old man, this one was tall, and still had some muscle that he must have gained in an active or adventurous youth.

He moved and groaned, his voice raspy. Naomi fetched a cup of water and had it ready when he opened his eyes and sat up.

"Here," She said, though this man's attention never fell upon her. Instead, it remained on Arian. "Drink this water before speaking. We don't want you to pass out again." She ordered, thrusting the cup into his hands. This is when he glanced to her, and thanked Naomi for her hospitality: an act that pleased her greatly.

He drank the entire cup and then let himself cough before saying, "I am Leon."

"I'm Naomi, and this is—." Leon cut her off.

"Young Arian." He said as though he were a relative. Arian arched a brow.

"How do you know my name?" He questioned. A suspicious stare fell across his features.

"Not through you, but I knew your mother and father. Lorella was a good, kind person, as I assume you are now, and your father… well, he was troubled, but he and your mother loved each other. However, that is not what I am here to tell you…" He cleared his throat again. Naomi poured him more water to drink. He thanked her again before continuing. "I first met you when I gave you some of your many scars, and it seems that you have accumulated many more since then." He noted the now healed arm that Arian had gashed the first night in Termina.

"What? I don't remember you. When?" Arian sat down on a stool, for he could see that this man didn't mean him any harm, despite the fact he had apparently already inflicted some.

"On the back of your neck, under your hair." He answered mysteriously after another cough. He grinned and then looked back down to a refilled cup of water. Naomi set down the jar and walked to Arian's back. While he felt the back of his neck she held up his hair that draped down and was able to see three scars, all the same size. They were evenly spaced, aligned in a curve that hid just below his hairline and under his longer, black locks. Naomi touched one of them in wonder.

"They are from claws…" She said. Arian suddenly remembered. It had been many nights and many battles since then.

"No, you can't be!" He said, jumping up and backing away.

"I _was_ but am no longer." Leon answered. "I gave you those scars for a specific reason. One that I was never allowed to explain as you scrambled away from me so quickly, and you were always amidst a battle or being followed by that bounty hunter."

"Bounty hunter!" Naomi exclaimed, looking to Arian with a worried stare that seemed to chastise him. He grabbed Naomi's hand and smiled, his stare signifying that now was not the time, and he looked back to Leon.

"Then that means that you were the beast that changed me…" He said, which completely took Naomi's mind off the bounty hunter as all had suspected. She remained silent but at Arian's side. Leon could tell that Naomi understood this part of the conversation. He grinned.

"I passed it on, as another had passed it on to me." The answer cut all tension as the two understood where this was going. "When I grew too old to carry it well, as I can feel my time coming to an end, I had to find someone who could carry the spell on and keep it safe. I remember the night very well, I was following the moon until I saw a form standing amidst it. It was you, as you walked into the mines that night. I suppose you just thought it a silly punishment, but I can tell you it was fate." Arian recalled and Naomi leaned closer to him. These revelations of his past tugged at her heart and made her very curious, which Arian knew that he would have to reckon with later. He placed his arm on her back to console her anxious motion. She left his side when there was a knocking at the door.

"Don't worry. I had some bread sent up." She said and took the loaf and honey from the servant. "I thought you might be hungry." She set it next to him and once more filled his cup. He smiled warmly at her accommodating kindness.

"Thank you, but I can eat after I am finished." He set his glass next to the plate. "I feel much better already." Naomi looked to Arian.

"Do you want me to leave?" She asked softly. He was surprised, knowing how much Naomi would want to stay and listen, but she had set her own nosiness aside. He shook his head.

"Actually, it's comforting to have you here." Naomi sat down on a stool at the foot of the bed after smiling at the answer. Leon let a light-hearted laugh brighten his hard features.

"Did you two know each other before?" He asked, referring to pre-beast times as being the "before." Naomi shook her head but allowed Arian to answer.

"No, uhh… we met here in Hyrule, about two weeks after… well, you and I met." He told Leon.

"And she knows?" He asked with arched brows. Arian nodded.

"Yeah, she figured it out."

Leon smiled again in the silence.

"People like her are hard to find. You are one of the few lucky ones, like my mother was." He added and gave them a minute for their surprise to set in. "Yes, my mother found a good man to marry despite the spell, and then she passed it down to me. She said it had been a hard decision between myself and my younger sister, but I had proven more courageous and she more free-spirited." He smiled to himself in loving memory then went on to relate himself to Arian.

"I have the three scars on my neck as well. You see, this type of spell can only be passed to someone else with this proper method _and_ if it is freely and intentionally given." He pointed to his neck. "I was able to accept it a little more graciously than you were, but then again, I was raised in a time where such spells and creatures were less feared and better known, and I knew my mother loved me." He smiled. "I am truly sorry for the scare, but I am not good with words, and I had to hurry, because I knew you wouldn't be alone for long, nor was I going to be around for much longer…" He looked down thoughtfully.

"I lived with my sister, in the mountains. We were hiding from the slave trade, hoping to wait it out. I protected us, and she took care of the cooking, thank Hyrule." He laughed, remembering his sister's wonderful food. "She passed away a little less than a month ago, and now I can feel myself fading away. This stone has told me so." He drew out a stone that hung on a chain around his neck. "This, I would have given you too if you hadn't fought me so, but I suppose I understand. I often forgot my beastly appearance." He handed it to Arian. "I don't suppose you noticed a little trouble in controlling your new found abilities?" He asked. Arian's eyes grew wide as he took the stone. It was gray, as if storm clouds were billowing inside of it, but as Arian took it, it grew dark as night.

"Ah, yes…" The old man said and leaned back, trying to sit up. Naomi got another pillow and set it behind him so that he could sit more comfortably. "It has returned to its original color." He said with a laugh after thanking Naomi again. "Without the moon's star, your powers were controlled solely by the moon itself. You grew weaker when it was crescent, stronger when it was full, and completely normal when the sun was up, but now you ought to have complete control over it." Arian placed it over his head and let it settle against his skin in the open space that the cut of his tunic's neck allowed.

"Go on, try it out. You do know how to change, don't you boy?" Leon instigated. Arian looked to Naomi who got up and ran to bolt the door. She then smiled at him encouragingly.

Arian closed his eyes. His brow creased as he concentrated, and the transformation took place. Leon and Naomi watched calmly while Arian became the beast in broad daylight, quickly changing form. He looked to his claws and closed his fist, feeling a new strength he had yet to feel.

"I'm wondering if I am meant to reveal the other part of the legend…" Leon said to himself as Arian shook away this beastly appearance and became his normal self again. Naomi ran to his side and let herself laugh lightly before Leon's words struck them.

"Why do you wonder?" Naomi asked.

"I fear it has already begun. It is my luck that it should happen just after my own time, I would have liked to have a share in it, but I suppose I have already had my share of adventures." He grinned to them. "The legend that I wonder about explains the reason that this must be passed down." Naomi nodded.

"We do know the legend of the great evil being that was locked away by the ancients. The four were blessed with the ability to entrap him, and the key bearer would lock him away. Arian is one of the four." She answered, looking to Arian with pride. Leon nodded and fought to keep his eyes open.

"Yes… so it _has_ begun… then after you, there will be no need. New precautions will be arranged by good, I suppose. Hopefully, time will tell. You, Arian, have the strength and the speed they will need." He mumbled more under his breath. Naomi and Arian stood nearer him and Leon took Naomi's worrying hand. "Take care of this one… she's quite a treasure…" He said quietly. "I'm afraid to say, that it is now my time to go to…" His head drooped down and Arian became tense.

"Leon!" He started when a snort re-awoke Leon so that he could finish his sentence.

"…sleep…" He then drooped his head again and his snoring resumed. Arian looked up to Naomi who was grinning. He laughed at himself and shrugged.

"_Come on_." She whispered. "_We'll let him sleep. He has bread and honey to eat when he wakes up_." The two walked to the door and Naomi let Arian out so that she might close the door as quietly as possible. She didn't notice that Arian had left her side to walk to the window, and was surprised to find herself standing by the door alone.

"Arian?" She asked and walked to him, noticing the now somber disposition he had gained. "He'll be alright, and then you two can get to know each other. He can tell us more about your mother and father." She laughed, but Arian merely turned to her and smiled weakly, for it was a nice thought for him as well, but his mind was troubled.

"It's not that…" He finally said and resumed looking out the window, leaning against its sill. She too became stern. "I just…" He tried again. Naomi nodded after he fell silent and placed a hand over his, she looked out the window as well.

"Is it something about your past?" She tried to help him, glancing over in time to see him nod. "It was hard wasn't it?" Again he nodded. "Then it is good that it is over… You are here now, and surrounded by friends, you have nothing to fear." She said and gripped his hand, he clasped hers in return.

"Unfortunately I am not…" He muttered. Naomi's mouth dropped and she was rendered speechless, forcing Arian to explain as he couldn't bear the look on her face. "I wasn't completely honest with you at the beginning. Being this beast wasn't the only reason I was hiding—I didn't want someone in particular to see me like that…" Naomi's look became suspicious and she looked away from him, out the window again to avert it. "Link and Damien have known since that first night in Clocktown…" He gave himself some support.

"And I know your secret, which leaves Amy or Aura… and I will presume the latter." Naomi answered, both her hands now rested on the window sill and Arian pulled his own to his side.

"Yes… the bounty hunter I was running from… was Aura. I hid because I was scared she would regain her memory if she saw the beast…" He answered as though in pain. "I was one of her father's slaves and began wreaking havoc when I became this beast…" Arian watched Naomi while she stared into the distance. Her expression was stern and more serious than he had ever seen her. "I had cost her father more money than I was worth, so the order was to… to…" He didn't want to tell Naomi anymore, but luckily he didn't have to. As he had looked to the ground, faltering his words, she had wiped a tear from her eye and turned to embrace him. Arian had raised his head just in time for it to rest on Naomi's shoulder.

"Don't worry…" She whispered in his ear. "I will take care of everything." They still held each other as she moved to face him. "Aura is our friend now… she knows you now… but we will try our best to ease her into the idea. I will keep it a secret until the time is right, but she _has_ to know and will eventually find out either way." Arian laughed which hid the fact that his own eyes had been tearing.

"I know, I don't know what I was thinking." He shrugged. Naomi smiled sympathetically and shook her head.

"I don't either, but now we'll take action. She has to find out that you're the beast and if her memory comes back then I will calm her. I have faith in her kindness and have faith that it was only due to the situation that she actually went after you. After all, she probably thought you were some sort of thieving, conniving, villain of some sort, but now she knows that you are a kind human being who—."

"Is completely in love with her new friend." Arian finished for her. Naomi blushed while her brow creased. It took her a moment to compose herself.

"I'm glad to see you've recovered." She answered and then became serious again. "I love you too…" Another moment of silence passed between them and Naomi looked away. "We'll be okay." He wondered if she were trying to convince herself, so he kissed her for reassurance.

* * *

Zelda was somber after hearing all of the their story, although she had perked up quite a bit as Link had recounted how Amy could become a dragon creature and when Damien informed her of the Draconian and Nynian races. A silence passed as Arian and Naomi entered. Zelda stood to welcome them and then had the servants bring out more tea and delicacies for them to have.

"The old man is from Minirith, as we had suspected." Naomi started, giving them an update on their newcomer. "His name is Leon and he merely had exhaustion and dehydration. He's asleep now so he'll be fine later." Naomi smiled and then looked to Arian, urging him to speak his own news. Damien watched this exchange and suspected more to the story.

"Did you find out why he was in that part of the desert?" He asked a question directed towards Arian. The boy nodded a reply before continuing.

"He knew my mother and father." He started, to try and make things casual. "I hadn't met him before though. He had moved to the mountains with his sister when the slave trade had started." Zelda was startled to hear that a slave trade had started in Minirith, but she remained silent. Aura's brow creased, as she had never heard Arian talk about himself so casually.

"So you were a slave?" She asked, rather surprised.

"My mother and I were _enslaved_, yes…" He answered, realizing that he actually wasn't talking to a slave trader or bounty hunter, but a concerned friend. Aura did in fact react as a friend would, her mouth becoming a pitying frown. "I worked in the mines until, well, I met Leon, but I didn't know it was him at the time. He was in the form of this monster, a wolf-like monster." He said for the benefit of those who knew his story. Amy and Aura were captivated.

"Like that one you described in Clocktown, Naomi." Aura said with awe. "Do you think he's been following us this whole time?" She queried. Naomi cocked her head and looked back to Arian. He smiled.

"Actually… that beast was me…" Arian said nervously. Damien and Link immediately looked to Aura while she and Amy were gaping at Arian. "Leon met me to pass on a particular spell, and it turns out that becoming a wolf-like beast is a result of that spell." He shrugged his shoulders. "I became that beast every night, which is why I'd run away or hide… I just didn't want you guys to see me like that. I thought it was some weird curse from some evil kind of magic or something." He explained.

"But Leon gave me this. He said it was the moon's star." He showed them the jewel that now hung around his neck. "This helps me control it, so I can become a beast whenever I want, and I can finally get a good night's rest, you know, without worrying about someone seeing me."

"Wait, did Link and Damien know?" Amy asked, her face was wrinkled and she looked to them with her old accusational stare, Link held back a smile.

"Yes, actually, but we could understand why he didn't want you three ladies to know." Damien answered for him, making Aura stare at him with her old blank stare. Link and Damien found this stare amusing as well, but this time Link let himself smile.

"Now, however, we know that it is part of the ancient spell." Naomi said, Amy now directed her accusational stare to her.

"You knew too?" She asked angrily. Naomi nodded with a blush.

"I found out when I was captured by the pirates and Arian saved me." She answered, smiling at him.

"You were captured by pirates?!" Amy exclaimed. Aura nodded her head.

"Okay, _that_ I knew." She sighed, feeling slightly better.

"I'm always the last to know everything!" Amy rolled her eyes but no one paid her much attention. Aura was staring at Arian again.

"So, you are a wolf-type beast?" She asked slowly and awkwardly. He nodded, feeling a little anxious as did everyone in the room save for Amy and Zelda. "I-I think I was after a beast like that… or it was after me?" She looked away from him and closed her eyes, trying to remember. "So I must have come from Minirith too!" Her gaze returned to Arian. "Did you know me?" She questioned hopefully.

"I don't think we formally met, so it is probable that you were either a slave owner, or the daughter of one." He answered vaguely. Aura wrinkled her nose.

"Owners of people like you?" She queried and went into thought after Arian nodded. "That's really strange. I know of owning a dog or a cat, but a human?"

"I think the slave owners tried to forget that we were human… and they did a good job." He responded, looking to Naomi, grateful that she was right about her friend.

"Well everything makes sense now, Arian. I thought you were just really _weird_." Amy piped up.

"And you're not weird?" Damien asked Amy. Aura looked to him.

"Shut up, Damien." She defended her friend. Damien rolled his eyes good-naturedly.

"It was a good point." Link told Damien in a quiet voice, but all could hear it and most laughed, though Amy tried to force her smile into a frown. Navi circled Amy which resulted in her failure; she snorted in laughter. Zelda smiled lightly at this wonderful array of friendship, but her mind was now troubled.

"I hate to bring us back to a horrible topic, but I will once more try to speak with my father about the oncoming war, however I have a feeling that this time I will be more successful." She looked to Ignus who was lying in a corner. He too gazed at the princess and then to Amy. Ignus' stare conveyed his thoughts and Amy caught on to the princess' possible ploy.

"If you are going to meet the king, you ought to be dressed formally, not in Gerudo attire, if that is alright." She said, trying to word it so as not to be offensive. All seemed to be alright with this. "I have some dress robes for you. I can send them to your rooms, so if you will change and then meet me in the front foyer."

"Good, I like this plan." Aura said, imitating Damien's prior statements as she was glad to get out of the Gerudo attire.

* * *

"Nevermind." Was her later statement as she looked at the flowing skirt that danced around her legs. "I actually think this might be worse." Amy nodded while she looked at her floral pattern embroidered in black thread on the red velvet. Naomi had instead donned one of Ruto's dresses that the Zoras had given her, as she found they suited her better. The three ladies walked outside and looked to see that the boy's door was still closed. Naomi knocked to check if they were there.

"Hello?" She called.

"They're almost done." Link called back.

"Why didn't _you_ have to change?" Damien growled at the green hero and it sounded as though he were struggling with something.

"Navi keeps my tunic pretty clean with fairy magic,"

"That's right!" Navi exclaimed, proud of her work.

"I could keep him clean too you know." Tatl said as well.

"And I'm expected to be clad in green, just ask around." He responded. Naomi turned to Aura and Amy to confirm that Link was in fact known as the hero clad in green.

"That was the only description I got of him when I was looking for Ruto's fiancée, speaking of which, we still need to visit them, Link, and clear up a few things!" She yelled through the door.

"Right!" He yelled and opened the door. "Maybe after we finish up the whole war thing, though." Arian and Damien now had intricately designed tunics, Arian in silver with leaves and Damien in gold with embroidered suns. Damien's collar must have been what was causing him the most trouble. Aura walked over and pulled on the lace with a laugh.

"Well, don't you look proper?" She asked mockingly, forgetting her own wardrobe.

"That makes all of us, except Mr. Hero here." Damien replied. Link smiled, as this wasn't the first time someone had called him by that title and he knew that it wouldn't be the last.

"We should go meet Zelda and get this over with." Naomi said before anyone could make anymore comments. She too found that while the attire was very beautiful and very becoming of all, it wasn't very characteristic.

Zelda was waiting patiently at the designated meeting place. She smiled lightly as the newcomers entered; glad to see them all so proper. Ignus was at her side. His nostril flared and smoke curled up towards the ceiling when he saw Amy in her deep red gown, she took this as a sign of approval but also surprise.

"Yes, Ignus… thought you'd never see me in a dress again, did you?" She laughed while he pushed his nose into her hand. Zelda's smile deepened.

"Come now, the king ought to be nearing the end of his afternoon meeting, if we catch him in the break, then he may not be as cross." She said and began marching down the hall. Ignus trotted to her side and the others followed suit. As they neared the great doors of the throne room, a most unwanted voice interrupted them.

"Princess, what exactly are you doing here with your guests… and that… thing?" Lord Kremel stalked up to them, his face a mask of severity. Zelda's patience had worn thin, however.

"Lord Kremel, I must be frank. We need to see my father, and it is an issue of life or death!" her voice held a note of desperation. Lord Kremel, however, seemed more annoyed than impressed at her display of gravity.

"My dear princess, how often must I remind you that while the king is concerned with your quandaries, he cannot be troubled by matters that pale in comparison to with his own royal affairs?" Zelda's eyes closed while she prepared herself for a response. Her posture seemed straighter and her face a stoic statue.

"I'm afraid to inform you Lord Kremel that if you do not step out of my path then _you_ will pale in comparison to your usual complexion." She answered sternly and forcefully. Ignus let out a flick of fire behind her. The princess had never used force or threats. Her pleas had always been delicate and kindly, but this was a new approach that did indeed turn the lord a shade paler than usual. He was speechless for once. "Now step _out_ of our way." Zelda issued the command, and with a little help from Ignus, the rounded lord obeyed.

The doors to the throne room swung open, gathering the attention of all in the room. Zelda marched forward, Ignus towering behind her and all others behind him. The princess had done right to request their change of suit, for their appearance now seemed royal in a sense, and Link had done right to remain in his heroic attire. The sight was noble and powerful, one that couldn't easily be ignored or put off.

The throne room was large, a red carpet leading up to the great throne and the three chairs sitting around it for the remainder of the king's family. Great colored windows allowed rainbows to stripe the floor. It was beautiful and noble, but the king did not sit in his mighty throne. Instead he sat at a court table with several other gentlemen.

Zelda's father wore a crown atop his whitened head. Though old, the hair atop his head was still thick and smooth. He had a white beard on a strong jaw and large, but groomed eyebrows hovering over piercing blue eyes. The king was tall and still appeared strong in his old age, though his expression was wearied from all of his business. He had been working on several papers, but had stopped to see the group enter. The other men ran out of the room upon seeing the dragon, but the king stood his ground, rising from his seat in wonder at seeing his daughter with such a beast.

"Zelda?"

"Your majesty, since you are no longer busy I think that you ought to meet with those behind me, for they bring urgent news to you." Zelda said formally. Link stepped up to her side. He felt calmer about seeing the king, for he could easily see the source of many of Zelda's features, but none of his own, or none that immediately came to mind. He once more convinced himself that his royal appointment and association had given him the power to withdraw the sword, or maybe he could with power granted by his contact with the triforce and the sacred realm.

The king remained silent for a moment, studying Zelda and her comrades and watching her stand beside the green hero. Zelda looked to the ground momentarily, a fleeting sorrow passed over her, but she took the king's stunned silence as approval.

"Amy, you may speak." She told the girl who was shocked and nervous, but she came forward nevertheless. Amy wondered what her mother or Ms. Cassidy would think to see her in such a noble affair. She cleared her throat and folded her hands together in front of her.

"Your majesty." She very shallowly curtsied with a deep bow of the head, to keep herself from stumbling forward, after addressing him with the same formality as the princess. "I come from Draconia, which was once a very successful province, but it has been destroyed. I, and Ignus, my dragon, are all that remain… or at least that I know of." She began, which certainly caught the king's attention. Amy looked to Naomi who nodded her head in approval, urging her to continue. "My home was destroyed when an army was created with many of our own dragons that had been changed with some kind of evil magic." Amy didn't quite know how to continue from there, so Damien picked up for her.

"The source of that evil magic is now a threat to your kingdom." Amy was rather relieved that Damien had taken the strain from her. "This source has brought his army into Hyrule and is waiting in the desert to attack when you least expect it."

"Truly?" was all the king could respond, for he wondered why his guard had not notified him of this.

"It is true your majesty." Naomi said and bowed much lower and more gracefully than Amy had.

"And… who are you?" He asked not to be impolite but because he had not seen her before. Naomi was not insulted by his question.

"My name is Naomi, and I am the last of my race. According to this, and several other reliable sources, we were called the Nynians. Our kingdom was within the waters, long before the Zora's came to be." Naomi pulled out the documents that she and Arian had found once more. She grinned lightly before fighting it back, amused at how an old land treaty had proved so useful. The king took the document and glanced over it, finding the said names. He looked back to Naomi, expecting her to continue.

"These are my friends, and associates. Damien, a royal guard from Ikana, Amy, a citizen of Draconia, Arian who hails from Minirith, Aura from a currently unremembered region, and Link, the hero of Hyrule and Termina." She introduced them all very formally.

"Link…" The king uttered, his brow creased and he glanced slowly back to the paper. There was a silence, one that took Damien's patience.

"Forgive me your majesty, but we have need of haste. This evil I spoke of, Devoren as Link has discovered, is one of ancient times. This being came from the beginning of time and cannot be destroyed but is itself a destroyer of all things." Damien said angrily. "Right now the ancient spell still keeps him in a weak state but if he claims the Black Sword then only the source of good can save us."

"The source of good and evil?..." He trailed off. "This all seems rather cosmic… an evil of immeasurable proportions is at my doorstep and I have only just been informed of it?"

"Well, you must believe it." Damien said harshly. He held up his hand. Now that his gauntlets had been removed, one could see an icon, like that on his armor, marked his left hand. "You do recognize this seal, do you not?" He asked pertinently. While his comrades had all seen it, none had actually examined it. In black ink there was a triforce marked with four stars; a sun behind it all. The king nodded.

"We apologize, your majesty." Zelda started, the king passed her a curious stare. "We would have approached you sooner, but your schedule had been filled up. We were forced to wait until the very last second." To this, the king sighed. He looked to the parchment again and then back to his guests, resolve in his eyes.

"Damien, is it?" He waited until the guard responded with a wary nod. "I want you and… Arian to work on the defense of our castle. You, Damien, know the dark armies better than anyone else here. I will give you the authority to disclose this information to all of our guards and militia, and I also give you the authority to help recruit." He nodded to the two startled men. Then he turned to the three girls.

"Now, I want you three to send word to all those Hylians living outside the castle walls, including those in Kakariko, tell them to travel here by tomorrow evening. I give you the authority to help close the market down until further notice. I will organize an escape plan if the Castletown is breeched." The girls nodded with wide eyes. "Now, to both of you groups, I will give you each a parchment bearing the King's seal, so that all will know that you come bearing news of the highest authority and importance."

The whole group, including Ignus bowed. Amy stumbled over her two feet, having bowed too deeply, and Naomi caught her arm before she collapsed on the ground. Link and some of the others snickered, and to everyone's surprise, they heard the king let out a deep chuckle before handing the letters to Zelda with a bow of the head. She, in turn, handed one to Damien and the other to Amy. With parchment now in the assigned hands, and all still feeling rather shell-shocked, the group turned around. Zelda was about to lead them out of the room, but the king spoke up once again.

"Link, Zelda, I want you two to stay back. I have something to show the both of you."

The eyes of the hero's friends looked back to him, seeing his shocked expression. Link glanced towards them, slightly longing to have one of their tasks. The returned reactions: Damien's sarcastic stare, Naomi's absently gapped mouth, Arian's confused expression, and Aura's awed surprise were to be expected of each, but Amy smiled sympathetically. She could tell he was worried and had curled her lips up into as comforting a smile she could make. Link's own expression must have altered when he gazed upon her, since she blushed and nodded him on before leaving with the others.

Link closed his gaping mouth and swallowed. He turned to face the king, looking to his feet when he met his gaze.

"Come with me." He told them both and turned towards the thrones. Zelda was rather intrigued as she hadn't been inside the throne room since she was a very young child. The king had gone to the curtain behind the great throne and tapped three times on the wall. A secret door opened behind his great throne and he walked inside, signaling Link and Zelda to follow. The two glanced hesitantly to each other for support but then entered the dark hallway.

"I'm sorry I've been so distant, Zelda." The king apologized as they walked. It was a long stone stairwell and the only light came from a torch that the king had taken from its station near the entrance. "I've been obsessed with trying to keep the peace ever since the Great War… and I'm afraid I let Lord Kremel feed that obsession."

"It is understandable, your majesty." Zelda said uncomfortably. Link noticed her discomfort and placed a hand on her shoulder, though he too felt rather nervous about their current state.

"You do not have to address me so formally, Zelda. And neither do you, Link, if you are going to address me at all." The king reacted to her passive comment and his silent demeanor. Link was surprised at the realization that he truly hadn't said anything to king, but merely been a statue throughout the whole of the prior address.

The stairs ended and the group found themselves in a circular room, the very top of the highest tower within the castle. Light flooded in from the window facing the late afternoon sun. This beam was directed towards some item covered by a large canvas cloth. The king approached it hesitantly after he saw that both Zelda and Link's attention were directed towards it.

The drape was discarded and behind it was mounted a portrait. It had painted the king standing tall, and the queen sitting royally, each holding an infant child. Zelda and Link stared at it in awe, both wondering and anxiously guessing at why the king revealed this.

"Zelda was only a baby at the time of the Great War. It was the first time that anyone or anything had ever breached the castle defense. I remember the night like it was yesterday." He started. All were staring at the portrait and the king slowly continued.

"I was in my study, speaking to the captains about our next defensive strategy. Impa was in the nursery, singing Zelda to sleep. You slept so peacefully my daughter. Our son, on the other hand, did not sleep so peacefully. He had a restless spirit, and a particularly strong attachment to his mother. She was amid walking with him in the courtyard. Even though it was already night, his eyes were wide awake and observing everything, including the distant and flickering light from the burning fields. I passed by them on my way to the meeting… I didn't know that it was the last time I would see either of them."

"Our enemy quickly penetrated the walls, spilling into Castletown. They were at the gates before the horns could even sound. My queen and my son were both in immediate danger, so she must have fled to the stables and taken to horseback. It was wise of her to flee the city… as I assume that was what she did. Impa took Zelda to safety in her old village, returning after we were able to regain control with the help of Ganondorf." The king said, going into a military briefing to momentarily relieve himself of the emotional stress. Link's heart was pounding but skipped a beat at the mention of his enemy's name. The king went silent. He looked directly to his queen's image with a courageous strength in his eyes that kept him from tearing.

"So, Impa returned with the princess, but Cecilia, your mother, was never found…" His voice had grown quieter and every muscle in his body had tensed.

It was evident that Zelda had never heard this story, nor had she seen the portrait. Her mind wrapped around what her father was trying to say before the king could choke out the words. Link once more swallowed dryly and looked to the princess. Tears streamed down her face and she too looked to him with a smile that was much like the first day they had met. Over seven years ago Link had come from Kokiri forest after discovering he was a Hylian. He had come to help her save Hyrule and she had said something very peculiar, "…Link? That's odd, it sounds familiar." What Link had dismissed as part of the princess' prophetic mind had actually been a long lost memory.

Zelda threw her arms around him and laughed with joy. The king kept his stature and Link was numbed, staring at the portrait. He truly could see parts of himself in this woman as he could see Zelda in the king.

"Link… I knew it was you when I saw the two of you together… You stand as brother and sister… and…" He laughed. "You have my unfortunate nose…" The king said with a humorous remorse. Link touched his pointed nose and then placed his hand back at his side. Navi resumed speaking, feeling the need for something in particular to be said. In this important case, Navi was polite and eloquent.

"Your majesty, Queen Cecilia, made it to the forest of the Great Deku Tree. We tried to help her, but she was injured beyond our magic. So the Deku Tree took Link and raised him as a Kokiri. Since none of the other children could leave the forest, and Link was still too young, he remained in the lost woods."

"The lost woods?" The king was surprised. "My men never came out of there… I can't believe that she made it all the way to the forest children."

Link couldn't believe all that he was hearing. He had never thought of the notion of having parents, being raised in a society of children and talking flora. After never having a mother, father, or sister he now had it all and wasn't quite sure what that meant.

* * *

**A/n: You know the drill. Thank you for reading. :)**


	37. The Knowledge Spreads

**A/n: We cannot express how truly sorry we are for this incredulously long delay. There is no excuse but we hope that the extra attention and creativity we will be giving to this story will eventually make up for it. And yes, we did re-write the end of the last chapter because The Silverdark Knight was completely and totally right (and we thank you for pointing that out to us, we hope this is a little bit better.)**

**There might be other re-writes, but mostly just error-checking and re-wording for better flow. The plot is going in a good direction and we hope you like it. **

**Wolfdemon2010: Thank you so much for your wonderful reviews. They are great. Fear is supposed to have taken the form of the horse Devoren rides, we might emphasize that more later but we might go back and try to make it clearer. And we don't know if you noticed, but there **_**are**_** a lot of old men, it's sortof becoming a motif so confusion is to be expected… ?? whatever, old men rock!**

**The Silverdark Knight: THANK YOU**

**Silver Warrior: Thanks, percentages appeal to us and I like the number 98. It's a good number. **

**Lalalanerd: Never be sorry for not reviewing or being late, especially with how late we were. You are wonderful for reviewing or reading at all. Thank you. Yes, we've always thought they were related—in Ocarina of Time anyway—and that's cool. Zelda stories are so fun to write because they are so epic. :D **

**Kulaman: WE ARE SOOO SORRY!! Thank you sooo much, we feel so bad about making you wait. We hope this is worth it, we'll work really hard, promise! **

**Here is the Very long awaited chapter. **

* * *

Amy scuffled her feet in the dust to entertain herself as they walked. Link passed her an odd stare and then looked back to the mountain road. Ignus trotted casually behind them both. It was the morning after the dramatic encounter, when Link had found out he was actually a prince. The news had broken fairly easily among everyone, much to his surprise. Damien had patted his back with an, 'I told you so,' and Arian had smiled proudly. Aura had laughed and told him not to expect any special treatment while Naomi had told him it was fitting. Amy, however, had remained oddly quiet on the matter.

They had passed through Kakariko village very quickly, as the king had sent them on official business to the Gorons on Death Mountain, but they had seen that all its inhabitants were busy getting ready to head to Castletown after receiving notice from them yesterday. Amy and Ignus had been sent with Link for their special abilities. They could fly off the mountain to safety if things went wrong, for Damien warned that Devoren, as they discovered in Gerudo Valley, may have already overpowered the other races. Link was going because he had dealt with Goron's before and had very good relations with them—being a sworn brother and all.

Naomi and Aura had gone to the Zoras, after Naomi forced Link to write a very apologetic letter to their king for giving Ruto the impression that they would be wed. Then the Hylian king wrote a letter explaining that the Zoran princess was tending to royal affairs and that he hadn't realized that Ruto hadn't informed her father. Of course the Hylian king had laughed uproariously when Naomi and Navi explained everything, and Link allowed himself to laugh through some embarrassment.

Arian and Damien were tending war preparations at the castle. Damien readied the soldiers for what they were to come across and Arian was building and designing new weapons for them to use as he heard of the various creatures that Damien warned of. All talents were being put to use.

Amy kicked a rock far ahead of her companions. Link looked at it and then to her before returning silently to watching the road. When Amy came upon it again, she once more kicked the stone far ahead of them. Link arched a brow and watched her kick it one more time, but this time it fell nearer Link's path. Amy sighed; she no longer had something to entertain herself. However, much to her surprise, Link kicked it back onto her path without changing his straight-forward gaze. She stopped walking and looked to him, dumbfounded.

"What?" He asked after walking a few steps ahead of her. "You were having fun." Amy shrugged with a smile and nodded. She walked up and kicked the stone back up to his path. Link let out a short laugh before beginning the journey again. The stone went with them, and the two were able to get it around the sharp curves and up the hill. It wasn't until Amy accidentally kicked it over the edge of the chasm that this game ended.

They silently watched it clink into the deep while Ignus ran to where it echoed, falling into a strange grey smoke where it could no longer be seen. Amy sighed, "Aw dang…" and turned to start again but Link remained, staring at Ignus. The dragon sniffed the air, and leaned farther over this chasm. His tongue flicked out like the lizards of the desert and his paws became eager. He craned his neck out and tested the air once more before turning his head towards his companions.

"Amy…" Ignus spoke. Link jumped at the dragon's gravelly voice, as he had been unaware that the beast could speak, but he remained silent while Amy responded.

"What is it Ignus?" She asked, realizing that he had been quiet all this while. Ignus was rather shy in front of new acquaintances.

"I smell… things." He growled mysteriously. Amy raised an eyebrow.

"Well, Ignus, I do too. I mean, I guess I'm relieved that I'm not the only one who's noticed the nasty smell that-." She stopped short when Ignus put his ears back in irritation. She scratched her head, looking to Link for a moment, and then turned back to her dragon. "Erm… what do you smell?"

The dragon simply let out a snort and jumped down into the chasm, much to Amy and Link's surprise. Amy turned to Link again.

"I guess we should follow him." Link nodded slowly. There was a short pause, and Amy coughed awkwardly. "I'll have to carry you again." She muttered sheepishly, looking to the ground.

When she looked up, Link was smirking slightly, and Amy narrowed her eyes. "What?"

He smiled and shook his head. "Nothing. That's fine with me." Amy sighed and stepped up to him, hesitantly wrapping her arms around his waist. She quickly let out her wings and jumped off of the side of the chasm.

The drop was fairly far, but as the two neared the bottom, an unexpected sight greeted their eyes. Amy quickly landed and let Link go, her eyes growing wide.

A tall man stood next to Ignus with steel-gray hair in a ponytail and deep brown eyes that crinkled at the corners. Amy stood stiffly with her wings folded behind her. Link stepped closer to her, his expression closed. This man was completely unfamiliar, and Link's hand was itching to grab his sword.

"Is that my little deku?" The man murmured, his eyes never leaving Amy. She let out a breath and stepped up to the man.

"Dad." She said, her voice full of relief. She hugged him and buried her head under his chin. Link stared with his mouth slightly agape. He stood there awkwardly as the father and daughter embraced. They parted, and Amy's father stared at her, drinking in the sight.

"I didn't think you were alive." He said roughly with much relief. "Your mom was devastated." There was a long silence, full of a sort of suffocated emotion.

"I'm here, dad." Amy said finally, her eyes slightly moist. She smiled shakily. "I guess I'm glad I was missed." Her father smiled widely, his own eyes shining with unshed tears. He blinked for a moment, and then took a long look at her, becoming the composed figure she remembered.

"I'm so proud to see that you've returned." He eyed her wings and glowing eyes. "…And in such a state." He half-smiled. "My daughter: chosen among our people. What a blessing." He laughed. "Great deku, look how sappy I've become in your absence." Amy nodded while her father finally noticed the presence of Link. "Oh, and who is that… green young man?" He squinted to see through the fog. Ignus walked behind Link and nudged him forward.

"Oh, that?... um… I mean, him?" Amy started. Link rolled his eyes in good humor. "He's the thief—I mean, no… the hero, nooo… um… Link!" Amy finished awkwardly. Her father passed his odd gaze over to Link, which caused him to become incoherent as well.

"Yes, um… I'm the key-bearer…" He pulled the Black sword a short ways out of his sheath and then replaced it. The father's stare made him feel as though he should explain more. "And, I'm uhh… the hero of time, oh and Termina… and I used to be a Kokiri, but I'm actually Hylian, and I saw your island, it was nice! Although, yeah… I'm sorry for your loss… of your… _home_." Link cleared his throat and Amy's father continued his stare while Amy appeared near tearful laughter.

Link didn't notice Navi floating next to him. She hovered near his ear.

"See this? This is why _I_ speak for you… I promise I won't sleep on the job anymore…" Link rolled his eyes as a sign of his thanks.

"It is good to know that my daughter has been traveling with such… such an accomplished companion…" He cracked a smile as he stepped forward to shake Link's hand, gripping it firmly. "I am Vahn."

"Link."

The two showed their character with their strong and friendly handshake. It broke and Vahn nodded his head and became serious again. "Now tell me, how long have you two been travelling together… alone?" He raised a critical brow. Link's eyes widened as he felt his cheeks blush. He knew where this was going by how Amy was gawking openly at her dad. Luckily, and yet unfortunately, Navi really was there to speak for him.

"Not alone, sir!" She flew around their heads. Amy's father remained seriously skeptical. "I have been with them throughout the entire journey, well, when she joined Link at least… Before that… she was with those other girls. But I am _well_-qualified to chaperone these two. I'm two hundred eighteen and a half!" Link's expression contorted and he stared at the small fairy. "What? You never asked how old I was… anyway, these two hated each other until just recently."

"Is that true?" Her father looked at his daughter and crossed his arms.

"Well, I—I thought he stole our jewel! Someone in town had called him a thief, or said he associated with thieves… so I thought he had taken it… and he cut off a lot of my hair…" Her speech sped up as her volume increased and both Link and her father furrowed their brows.

"Now what have your mother and I told you about jumping to conclusions?" The stern older figure chastised. Amy blushed with embarrassment, stuttering in her attempts to defend herself.

"Not another word." Her father silenced her. "We had best be off. Your mother will celebrate at the sight of you, and we will be more than willing to welcome the man who brought you back safely." Amy blushed a deeper shade of red than Link had yet seen; it nearly matched the shade of her eyes.

Her father gripped her by the shoulder and led her down the foggy path. Ignus urged Link to follow behind by nudging the hero's shoulder with his long, narrow nose. They strayed from their original mission and headed towards the Draconian's hidden sanctuary.

* * *

Noami and Aura had remained on task and were just reaching the falls covering the entrance to Zora's domain. Twisting pathways of grass and stone seemed to defy gravity and rise in odd directions in front of the cascading waters. They stepped onto a part of the path marked with the triforce and stood facing the falls directly. Aura looked around.

"You know, this is the weirdest rock formation I have ever seen… I wonder what caused it?"

"Spontaneous flooding and a few… random explosions?" Naomi guessed awkwardly. "I dunno, I didn't come this way last time. I took the Lake Hylia entrance."

"Yeah, well you get to sing that song now. What was it?" Aura asked. Naomi smirked; Link had taught her the song on his ocarina before they left.

"One second…" Naomi cleared her throat and sang her quickest rendition of Zelda's lullaby; the song of the royal family that Impa had once taught Link. Strange bells echoed around them and the waters parted, showing a cave leading into the mountain wall. Aura and Naomi glanced to each other with incredulous expressions before Naomi shrugged and jumped the short distance into the cavernous path. Aura followed after her, a little more wary and wondering where those bells had come from.

However, there was a strange calm about Zelda's domain that eased Aura's discomfort. Naomi took in a deep breath and smiled as this place refreshed her (even if she had been surrounded and interrogated the first time she had ever arrived.) One of the Zora's instantly recognized her.

"Dude! You made it!" He enthusiastically swam to where the two stood before floundering onto land and awkwardly running towards them. He addressed them while standing bow-legged, a hand placed on Naomi's shoulder. "I was worried you wouldn't want to come back after all the –dude, who's your friend?"

Despite the fact that Naomi couldn't quite recollect who this Zora was, she smiled politely and wracked her brains for a name while pretending to remember.

"This is Aura." She said. Her head began subconsciously nodding as their bow-legged friend was bobbing up and down in excitement. "I'm afraid I am here to see King Zora—I'm on official business—but otherwise I would have loved to stay and chat… it's good to see you." Naomi was able to smile sincerely since seeing this Zora did make her smile. Aura, however, was grateful to be pulled away. She had become silent when the character had confiscated her hand to shake it vigorously.

They made it up the stairs and past an unlit torch, heading towards the blue king's throne room. Much to their surprise (mostly to Aura's as she had never seen the king before), the two turned the corner and saw the giant blue king standing and speaking with the excited Zora from before.

"He must have swum up the falls." Naomi said with a shrug.

"Huh?"

"That Zora I introduced you to."

"Oh, is that who that is? Honestly Naomi, how do you tell these guys apart?" She shook her head and Naomi rolled her eyes.

The Zoran king bowed his head towards them in greetings and their Zoran acquaintance ran to them, once again standing bow-legged before them.

"Good news, dudes! In honor of your return, we're gonna have a big feast! The king will not discuss business before a celebration."

The news rendered both girls speechless, though Naomi tried to utter many thoughts that came out as incoherent babble while their friend showed them the way to their great feasting table.

* * *

The two on Death Mountain were also speechless, sitting upon cushions at a low table while people were scurrying in every direction around them; bringing food, clearing dishes, and some just wandering aimlessly. They were inside a warm cave with firelight flickering from every wall. Link and Amy watched her family and many others from her village continue their lives apart from their ancient homeland.

To their right sat Amy's mother, Desandra, a tall, lean figure with rounded dimples, curly reddish brown hair, and smiling eyes. She had looked very aged when they had first entered the cave, but upon the sight of Amy, she appeared to become ten or twenty years younger. Desandra's mother and father sat next to her as a contrast to both herself and each other. Granna Reela was plump and about a foot shorter than her daughter. Granpa Draco might've been taller than Granna Reela, but he was hunched over near the point of deformity. While his wife wore the same kind of smile that Desandra had, he wore a pleasant grin, similar to what Link remembered Amy showing in Snowhead after the two had started to get along. It showed that he was quietly pleased with the situation and at ease with the company.

To Amy and Link's left, there sat Amy's older brother and his wife; Mikyle and Leanne. Desandra's traits dominated her brother whereas it seemed that Amy had taken after Vahn. Leanne was shorter than Amy with dark hair and darker eyes. In her arms there was a small child, Amy's niece Lanna.

Though all of them had already introduced themselves to Link, he was foggy on their connections to Amy, and so she had to explain. He was rather overwhelmed at the sheer number of relatives. He hadn't ever had more than a father-figure, until recently, that is.

Another familiar face came from one of the side caverns where bubbling noises and the clacking of stone plates sounded, Amy presumed that this had been made into the kitchen. She stood upon the arrival of a young boy just around fourteen years of age with brown hair and intelligent blue eyes. His face was lit with a great joy when he caught Amy's gaze.

"Terrin!" Amy ran to give him a hug and Link stood as well, anticipating an introduction to a younger brother, or cousin. The young boy was smiling so widely that he had closed his eyes, his head resting on Amy's hunched shoulder. When their embrace ended and his bright eyes opened, they rested on Link and narrowed.

"Who's he?" Terrin asked without his usual smiling tone.

"What? Oh, that's—he's Link." Amy said cheerfully, not noticing Terrin's change in demeanor. Link grinned slowly and nodded his head. Terrin didn't move.

"I'm Terrin." He said without blinking, his gaze remaining coldly on Link. "Amy's old friend." He added importantly. Link nodded, letting his eyes wander about the room before returning them to Terrin's gaze and saying, "It's good to meet you…" He returned to his seat. Leanne leaned across Mikyle to speak to Link in a low voice.

"Look's like you've just made yourself a friend." She laughed and watched Terrin sit opposite Amy on their circular cut stone of a table. Link heaved a sigh as Mikyle joined his wife in laughing. Amy's brother continued his wife's thought in a low gravelly voice. Link glanced over to Amy to find that she was busy speaking with her mother and was completely unaware of the conversation taking place right next to her.

"Every young lad has to have one of those impossible fancies… I had expected Terrin to develop one on either Amy or Astra ever since he started working at the Dragonry." He laughed in a low rumble and then turned to Link. "I suppose young boys here have the same experience? Our worlds can't be too different." Link looked to the tall, gaunt man in return and drifted into thought. His thoughts drifted over all the women that had fancied _him_, and he wondered if young boys did indeed have the same experience, and then he remembered Saria. She had been the first girl _he_ had ever fancied, but this emotion had quickly faded as he grew older and she remained the ripe age of eleven in appearance.

"Oh, yeah… they do." Link nodded finally. Her brother was staring at him with alarmed intrigue, apparently thinking that this was a merely a shallow opener to light conversation. He was both surprised and amused by how much thought Link had put into the question before answering.

"Yeah…" Mikyle cleared his throat and looked to Leanne for inspiration. Link noticed that he had once again killed the conversation. He began to feel the usual awkward seclusion, but suddenly, hope flickered in his mind.

"Uh, you said something about a Dragonry…" Link uttered. Mikyle's eye's lit up and Link grinned casually. "Amy never told me about anything like that, what is it?" Mikyle nodded, ready and willing to go into a long explanation. Link silently celebrated: he had always been a very good listener.

"It's where we keep, raise, and train the dragons. Kinda like those um… what're they called… where you keep your um, hoses."

"Horses?" Link corrected. Mikyle nodded.

"Yeah those."

"So a Dragonry is like a ranch for dragons?" Link led him back into the conversation. A sincere smile spread across his face as he realized how well his communication skills had come along. Mikyle nodded again, jolting himself back into detailed explanations.

"Yeah, Leanne and I help Granpa Draco, Granna Reela, and Mom run the place. Dad and Amy were dragon trainers." Mikyle started. Link's heart lifted as he realized that Mikyle would be another one of those long winded people who he always seemed to come across, which was good, very good. This meant that he wouldn't have to come up with awkward conversation, which seemed to be more the case as of late.

"The Dragonry itself is actually a cavernous system in a volcano. The hatchlings and eggs are kept closest to the magma as they haven't built up that tough skin yet to keep in the warmth and each dragon has her own cave. The alpha male, Ignus' father, lives in the mouth of the volcano. Igor had attached himself to our father. The males do that, one is born every twenty years and he chooses his master.

"What's weird is that Ignus attached himself to Amy. Males usually choose men to master them, but every now and again there's an odd one like Ignus, and I think Amy is obviously a good trainer." He looked to Link expectantly who quickly nodded in return. Mikyle smiled. "Dragon's are very perceptive of human beings, they don't let just anyone train them or even ride them. Ignus, I think, was able to see that Amy's will was particularly strong. And, as we all see now, she is the heir to our tribe's power. So, Ignus definitely chose well." Link nodded slowly, narrowing his eyes in thought.

He was beginning to understand just how much Amy was unaware of herself and how others viewed her. As he sat there, Link was easily able to see that Amy's tribe loved and respected her; they were throwing a feast in honor of her return. It had never occurred to him that Amy had such an extensive and elaborate background. Her recent demeanor, after her return, suggested that she was unimportant and even an outcast. This, in turn, made Link see that there were many more layers to her than she let on.

Mikyle was still talking, and Link had not been listening, he had never been distracted like that before. He began to panic, what if Mikyle asked him a question, or worse, asked him a favor relating to his information like all other long-winded acquaintances did? Fortunately, this worry did not plague him for long. The room erupted in cheers and everyone stood. Link, though confused, did the same and looked to see an elaborately dressed figure enter.

"That's my Uncle Kerrik—The Ardeo Kerrik." Amy's voice whispered to him as everything went silent. Link nodded, and realized that the title 'Ardeo' must represent an important position. "It's like your king, er dad…" Amy added awkwardly. Link glanced to her and thought he caught her blushing but he quickly returned his gaze to the ardeo.

He looked similar to Vahn, only thicker. His ashen black hair only had a few gray streaks, despite the fact that he appeared much older than Vahn. Kerrik stepped towards where Amy stood. Link found it odd that he wore a stony expression on his face, but as he neared, it broke into a warm and deep smile. He held out his arms and wrapped them around his niece with a laugh. The formal silence immediately broke into a multitude of separate conversations.

"And here I thought my ardeoship was cursed." He laughed again with deeper rumbles. "And, look here." He broke the embrace and glanced at Link who had just rejoined Mikyle in drinking the mead. "You even found yourself a suitor! Well this _is_ cause for celebration. _Welcome to the family_!" He exclaimed boisterously and held open his arms. Link choked and mead spewed from his mouth and nose. Kerrik began laughing again. "I'm only kidding boy, thank you for bringing our young girl home!" He grabbed Link's right hand, the one he wasn't using to wipe his face with, and shook it firmly.

Though Amy had been suffocating with embarrassment as well, her manner lightened in watching Link's extreme reaction. She came to both his and her aid with a convenient but necessary change of subject.

"Uncle, erm… Ardeo Kerrik." Amy started formally. Her uncle's manner became less boisterous and firmer with Amy's formalities. "Link and I came here to see the Goron leader." Link caught on to her intentions and decided to help her after a few more coughs to clean his airways.

"We have a message from the King of Hyrule." He added, though the effect was dampened by him subconsciously rubbing his nose to rid it of the burning sensation. Amy nodded solemnly. She averted her eyes from Link to keep herself from cracking a smile. Her uncle, despite their discomforted presentation, understood the urgency and importance of this matter.

"I shall contact Darunia as soon as possible. We should be able to convene tonight." Link's eyes widened.

"Darunia? But isn't he… um… currently out somewhere?"

"His son, Link Jr—oddly enough—said that he had been missing, but that he just recently turned up, I met with him yesterday when arranging for our new Dragonry in Death Mountain." Kerrik explained. Link's brow raised and Navi chimed—her indication of something important. "I will be off then. I shall send for you the moment we are together with time to spare." Link and Amy both nodded as Kerrik gave Amy one last smile and tweaked her nose before departing. Amy abruptly turned to Link.

"I'm sorry, I should have warned you about my uncle… he tends to be a little… um… mischievous…" Amy said before answering a call from her parents. Link watched her go with a smile and then turned to Navi.

"Listen!" She squeaked and he focused all of his attention on her. "If Darunia has returned, maybe the other mages have too. You should play Saria's song and see if she answers!" Link nodded and stepped outside.

* * *

Arian and Damien were the only two not currently feasting. Instead they sat in a dark room with charts laid out before them. Arian had quill in hand and scratched notes on a piece of parchment while Damien sank deeply into thought.

"He had giant, armored creatures that would break straight through the walls… what could defend against that?" He asked Arian who scratched some more notes before contorting his face in thought.

"Maybe, a trap for them… a fake wall for them to boulder through into… erm… a cage, no… explosives… no, let's see… armored..." He rubbed his chin. "A deeper moat, so that the armor would make them sink and they would drown!"

"Good thinking Scooter, write that one down. We could get Zoran help on that one…" Damien replied. Arian started moving his quill again but stopped abruptly and stared stoically at Damien.

"When are you gonna stop calling me that?"

"When you stop being so adorable, Fang." Said Damien with a sly smirk. Arian stared at him with a disturbed expression while Damien raised his brows and smiled.

"Allll-riiight then, sweetums" Arian went back to writing and Damien laughed through his nose.

A knock on the door interrupted their brainstorming and name-calling. The king entered with a worn expression. The two boys were surprised to see Tatl fly from the king and circle them before returning to circle his crown.

"It is time to inform the Hylians. I will need you two with me, if that's alright."

Arian put down his quill and stood silently. Damien also remained rather quiet as he followed the king out the door.

* * *

The sky was streaked with orange and red. The drawbridge was just being pulled up. All of the townspeople were huddled together in the main square and the king stood with Arian and Damien on a risen platform where his voice would project. Hyrule Castletown had never been this crowded. There were people from Kakariko village and all of the inhabitants of the Hylian fields, including Lon Lon Ranch, were present. Despite the multitude of people, young and old, surrounding them, it was very quiet.

"I have gathered you all here now because this message cannot wait any longer. While I do not wish to alarm any of you, it is my duty as your king to inform you of any danger to the kingdom."

The orange and red of the sky was reflected on the waters of the Zora's sacred lake, where Lord Jabu-Jabu had once resided. Naomi and Aura were at a place of honor at a table set upon an old stone platform with water surrounding them. Naomi was already standing, and the Zoras were silently looking to her.

"All of Hyrule is, at present, in grave danger. An ancient evil has been awoken, one that Hyrule has not previously known."

Fire burned inside of the Goron leader's room. Carpets littered the floor and there were many decorative pots sitting upon surrounding tables. Darunia and Kerrik stood in front of a strange stone statue and Link and Amy were facing them. Link's voice, seemingly stronger than usual, captured their attention.

"There is a great army that is readying for war that we have already seen. Their hope is to catch us by surprise, which is why we need to begin preparing ourselves now."

The Hylian king took a deep breath and stared at his worrying people. He could tell that they understood his message.

"I urge all of you to take extra precautions and ask all of you to offer a helping hand when you can." He stopped and looked to Damien and Arian. "Especially to these two young men and their friends. Now is not the time to seclude one's self. We must think of each other, and in doing so, we think of Hyrule."

The epic speech came to a close. The general moral was low and every face in the crowd looked frightened. Tatl, floating above the king's head, left her post and soared above the crowd. The last of the sun reflected off her wings and fairy dust fell upon the townspeople in great circles, following the yellow fairy. The tiny particles sparkled in the waning orange light, and an inexplicable sense of peace and hope rose in each person's heart. The silence no longer seemed heavy, and there was no longer a sense of helplessness. One by one, each person left the square with renewed energy and a new purpose.

Tatl floated back over to the King's head. As she saw his impressed expression, she fluttered to his shoulder.

"Yeah, I thought it was a good idea." She muttered. The king smiled slightly.

"Nice job, Tatl. And thank you for helping me with my speech." He laughed and turned towards the castle, the little fairy and the two young men following him.


	38. Incidental Actions

**A/n: Finally another post. We promise that when it takes this long, it's because we were debating plot and direction of the story. This chapter is mostly fluff, but we thought out our next course of action in the story and decided to draw out the ending, especially since we feel like the relationships between the characters needs time to deepen, and a lot of key plot points need to occur. So! **

**Review replies:--**

**Wolf demon 2010: We're glad you liked the fluff, because there's plenty more where that came from, and thank you for the complement. We love making things unpredictable and glad that it's appreciated. **

**Lalalanerd: Thank you sooo much for complementing that ending. We tried to go a little artsy and try to write it like actual literature and not just a story. :D**

**Silver Warrior: It was a last minute decision to give Amy a family, but we suddenly realized that it would be a wise decision on our part to give her two parents, siblings, etc, because it almost bothers us that most main characters of most stories are completely without family (Disney especially likes the single parents and orphaned children-? Go figure) We thought it would be a nice twist to go out on a limb like that.**

**The Silverdark Knight: Yeah, we'll make you completely visible, but that's because the most influential people to any story are the audience. The writer is writing for the audience, which means that your opinions really matter and we are very grateful for your input because we don't always notice everything –cough- plot holes. **

**We promise we're not lazy, but we're going through the awkward college life transitions, however, one of us is no longer an engineer, and the other has no idea WHAT THE CRAP she is majoring in…so maybe… maybe… keep hope that we'll speed things up. **

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**Thank you all so much. The fact that you are reading this story means a lot to us and really lifts our spirits as writers. Here is the next chapter. **

**Chapter 38: Incidental Actions**

The night was eerily peaceful. It didn't seem as though such news had truly been spread; the realizations had yet to sink in. When the sun rose again on Death Mountain and Amy had found herself surrounded by family, her heart was warmer than it had been in a long time, which shouldn't have been so considering their island was destroyed and Hyrule was in grave peril.

Still, Amy rose very early and headed into the mountain where the new Dragonry had been established. There weren't many dragons remaining, but Amy gave a good morning to Daruitha, the transport dragon who Terrin had driven in his mother's absence. Terrin's mother, one of the dragon riders, had yet to return.

Ignus was yet to be seen as Amy entered. Instead, she saw a large cavern with various rope bridges and different level platforms. There were many of the unusual-looking Gorons milling about, following many dragon tamers around with insatiable curiosity. Link had explained that the Gorons were initially mistrusting of dragons due to the legend of Volvagia, the great dragon who had once terrorized their people, only to be destroyed by a great Goron hero. However, once Kerrik enlightened Darunia as to the circumstances surrounding Volvagia's exile, and also the general amiability of the dragons, the Goron leader was at ease. Therefore, Darunia had made it a responsibility to put the Gorons' fear of dragons to rest.

Amy climbed down a long ladder into the cavern and walked across magma, following a small group of dragon tamers. They were holding vats of a substance that Amy recognized as food for the infant dragons. She then parted ways from the group and walked along a winding pathway, greeting various dragons and tamers. The atmosphere of diligent work and normalcy put Amy at ease as she dwelt among her people.

The sound of a commotion reached Amy's ears, and she followed the noise down the pathway and around a turn. She came upon a particularly large, young dragon who was struggling against the hand of tamers. Amy was surprised to see that her brother Mikyle and Link, wearing his red tunic, stood near the dragon as one tamer was trying to put a harness on her. Navi floated above this tamer, indicating Link's attention to her task.

As Amy slowly approached the group, she recognized the tamer as one of her friends, Astra. The girl was rather petite, and her quiet voice and sweet disposition often charmed the dragons. However, this dragon was particularly unwieldy. She had her wings wrapped tightly around her in a defensive gesture, and her teeth were bared. Astra was still rather new to taming, and so she was nervous at the large female's aggression and was unsure how to approach her.

"Astra, let me take it from here. I think this is a good learning opportunity for both you and Link." Mikyle said authoritatively. Amy stood at a distance, watching her older brother with a small smile on her face. Link, whose face was visible, had a fascinated expression which Amy was not very used to seeing. Mikyle ordered Astra and Link to take a few steps back as he prepared to approach the dragon. The large reptile became agitated and began to flutter her wingtips angrily and blow smoke out of her nostrils.

The tall man had a strange smile on his face as he slowly walked away from the dragon. To Link's surprise, Mikyle walked into the pool of magma across from the agitated female. He reached down and scooped up the hot substance into his hand. Mikyle remained unburned, but his expression revealed that it still stung him, like Amy had explained in Snowhead.

The dragon sniffed the air in a curious fashion, though her wings were still curved into a defensive position. However, the pupils of her narrowed eyes grew larger and more docile as they watched Mikyle come closer, kneeling before her and holding out the fuming magma.

"Come here, Agatha." Mikyle called her by name. Agatha's wings slackened some, but she made no move towards him. "Trust me." She hesitantly approached him. After a short pause, when she was mere inches from Mikyle's hand, she rested her nose in his burning palm. It seemed comforting for her, but most importantly, it proved that she now trusted him. Mikyle quickly stood and continued to speak comforting words to her.

"Don't worry, Agatha. I'm just going to see what's wrong." He lifted up her wing to reveal a large gash underneath, and she released a low groan. Mikyle used the remaining magma in his hand to rub it on the slow-healing wound. This time Agatha released a groan of a more pleasant nature. Mikyle stood and Agatha seemed much calmer, allowing Astra to walk up to her and put a lead around her neck.

"Now listen to Astra." Mikyle addressed her once more.

"Astra…" Agatha's gravelly voice mimicked as she turned to the petite girl. Mikyle then addressed the humans present.

"Dragons become agitated when threatened—and the move especially rattled Agatha; she lost her eggs and was injured." Mikyle explained her mood. "You have to regain their trust by presenting them a gift of comfort. Magma is a great comfort for dragons, so even if it hurts a little to touch it, the dragon will most likely respond well to your effort. If they don't, then just back up. We don't have time to deal with bad dragons right now." Astra nodded and led Agatha away. Mikyle turned back to Link.

"We're trying to round them all up now. A lot of them fled just like us, and just followed the pack. Most of them are still really distraught, which reminds me." He turned to Amy, revealing that he had been aware of her presence. "Did you want to take Link to breakfast, Amy?"

"How did that remind you of—ugh nevermind… Yes…" She nodded her head solemnly. "Yeah, I'm hungry, and I wondered if Link was too."

Link, unaware of the teasing nature occurring between the siblings, delved into thought about the food he had thus far eaten on his journey. He realized that before meeting this group, Link had rarely eaten anything on his journeys—living off of milk and fairy magic. However, he found that a well-cooked meal had no other substitute.

"Link, you've gotta stop drifting off like this!" Navi interrupted his thought. "Are you hungry? _Yes _or _No_?" Link snapped out of it and found that both Amy and Mikyle were staring at him with the same wry grin.

"Uh… yes! I _am_ hungry." He replied. Mikyle put a hand on his back and pushed him towards Amy, winking as he did so.

"Well uh, you go take care of that." He said in a laughing manner. "I'll see you both later. Make sure you say goodbye before heading back to the castle." They waved and left for some of Desandra's, recently famous Dadongo Soup.

* * *

"You're right, this _is_ a really nice view." Amy said while they drank out of the stone bowls. Link and Amy sat atop Death Mountain, joined by a giant goron with eye problems. He enjoyed their company, but didn't speak much. Apparently, this was his favorite place to sit and enjoy life, and he used the steam from the top of the Death Mountain volcano to forge giant swords. Amy found this strange, but chose not question.

"I came up here a long time ago and met the great fairy." Link told her as they looked off to the distant Kakariko village. Amy grew interested.

"A Great Fairy? Here? Can I—."

"No." Link replied quickly, not wishing to revisit the cackling, scantily clad fairy. "It's best if we don't…" Amy rolled her eyes.

"Fine… I'll let you have all the fun."

"I wouldn't call any of this fun—well, except for right now… I mean, even though Hyrule's in grave peril and all, I'm feeling pretty relaxed."

"You know… me too…" Amy agreed and took another drink from her soup. A comfortable silence followed.

It wasn't long into this silence that Darunia and Mikyle appeared at the mouth of the Death Mountain entrance.

"There they are." Mikyle said to Darunia. "I thought they'd be up here—Amy, mom wants to talk with you before you leave." Mikyle rolled his eyes and Amy glumly anticipated the worried mother speech in store for her. She turned back to Link and delivered an awkward smile.

"Whelp… uhhhhh… see ya!" Amy collected his bowl, despite the fact that he wasn't done with his meal, and walked away. Link watched her with an incredulous expression and shrugged as Darunia approached him. He stood and brushed off the dirt from the seat of his tunic.

"Link, I wanted to speak with you." He turned to the giant goron with eye problems. "Alone, if that's alright." The goron nodded and rolled into a ball, rolling off the mountain and causing the mountain to quake. Link and Darunia stumbled, trying to steady themselves before continuing.

"Ehm." Darunia started, a grin on his face. "I suppose you're wondering about the sages reappearing." He started. Link nodded eagerly.

"Yes, when I saw you, I tried to contact Saria, but she didn't respond." Link replied. Darunia was impressed by him speaking a full sentence, but decided to reminisce on the matter instead of questioning Link's new confidence.

"Ah, yes, I love her song." He shook his head. "Anyways, I thought you ought to know that the sages will be returning. Zelda believes that we will be of better use here, as the Sacred Realm is no longer safe, and therefore neither is our chamber." Darunia explained. "The others should be reappearing within their guarded temples, as I did. It turned out spectacularly though, because I needed to be here for the Draconian's arrival—my son was too scared to speak with anyone. He was found rolling around the hall." Link nodded, thinking on his words. Darunia went on.

"Now, speaking as the Goron leader, I ask that you return this message to our sworn brother, the king. Can you do this for me, brother?" Link nodded. He thumped Link on the back, causing him to fall, but he abruptly stood again. "It will be an honor to fight alongside you, brother!" Darunia ended boisterously, his loud personality swiftly returning. He then left Link standing with a scroll bearing the goron's official seal.

Once Darunia had disappeared within the mountain, Link became confused by the sound of flapping wings.

"Amy?" He turned only to be frightened by an old acquaintance.

"Hoo Hoot Ho!" A great owl squawked in his face. Link fell backwards with a loud yell and landed on the ground just as the owl landed on the sign in front of the Great Fairy's cave.

"You have grown much since our last meeting, Link!" The owl began, looking down at Link as the boy stared upwards. Link rolled and stood up awkwardly.

"Thanks…" He replied, wondering many things about this strange owl who started cocking his head to either side.

"I thought my last advice to you had been many years ago, but it appears that even a giant owl can be wrong. Hoo hoot. As I had promised, I've been keeping my eyes on you and I see you have made many new friends. These friends seem different to you, very different from any of your others. These friends stand with you, and you hold far more in common with them than you have with anyone else in a very long time." The owl pointed out. He changed his head's position, which signified his change in topic. "There are now many new people in Lon Lon Ranch. It would be wise to head there first, before delivering this message to the castle. Did you want me to repeat what I said?"

"Hahaha. Nooooooo thank you!" Navi piped up as Link was shaking his head.

"Until we meet again, Link. Hoo hoot ho!" The owl flapped his wings and took off, heading down the mountains and gliding over Kakariko village. Link watched this old acquaintance leave with wonder.

"Well, Link…" Navi started out. "The giant owl has spoken. It's official—we're on an epic quest." Link nodded before turning inside to find Amy and head towards Lon Lon Ranch.

* * *

The ranch had never seen so many visitors. Soldiers were all across the field, the horses were all saddled up, and the rolling murmur of many voices ensued. Aura and Naomi had returned earlier that morning, after having had a wonderful night's rest in Zora Hall. Well, Naomi had gotten a good night's rest. Aura had complained about the loud roar of the waterfall and the heavy breathing of the Zoran king that echoed within the domain, but all of this just reminded Naomi of her old home where she slept next to the sea and surrounded by hundreds of snoring pirates.

Despite the recent fall out, and many terrible memories associated with that place, there was also a fondness for the many comforts associated with many of her sisters. Not all of them had been like Aveil, and Aveil had not always been as she was now. Many of them had been kind to Naomi and were very much missed, but Naomi never dwelled for long on unhappy thoughts.

The former pirate girl now found herself busy in the kitchen of the ranch home, having adorned work clothes attained from Malon. She finely chopped several deku nuts found lying about and mixed them in some steamed milk. Adding some sugar, she poured this mixture into some hot coffee sitting on the fire. She smelled the warm drink and breathed deep with satisfaction before she ladled the sweetly nutty concoction into three wooden cups and carefully took them outside, balancing them on a tray.

Upon exiting the farmhouse, she saw a shirtless Damien in the distance, ordering about a large group of guards. Damien had been placed in charge of the guards' additional training, recommended as preparations for the upcoming attack. Naomi wrinkled her nose at the sight of him taking the soldiers through basic charts and continued on her way towards the lines working in the large horse field. However, she stopped short of the fenced field and headed towards her two other friends, Aura and Arian.

These two were busy attempting a slightly stranger commission than Damien that involved ancient, unfinished plans and several large, iron parts.

Arian held up a large iron barrel and examined the end opposite the circular opening, sighing again before setting it back on the ground alongside some wood and rope. Aura sat on a wooden barrel opposite him, looking at the plans spread out on a large crate. Naomi joined the two and set her tray onto another barrel near Aura, handing her one of the cups and picking up the other two. Aura took her drink without straying from her objective.

"It looks like the machine uses some sort of rigging to build up pressure. The pressure is what shoots that thing out." Aura said before taking a drink. It was then that she took notice. "Mmh, thanks Naomi." Naomi smiled as she carried the other two drinks over to Arian, handing him one and keeping the other while taking a seat next to him. She too stared at the large iron pot, though Arian had temporarily removed his attention from the project.

"This isn't coffee…" He noted skeptically. Naomi's expression faltered and she shifted her gaze to him to explain.

"Yes it is. I just added a few things." She answered with forced sweetness. Arian sniffed it hesitantly.

"What did you add?" He asked after smelling it, though he had yet to take a taste. Naomi cocked her head to the side, apparently offended by his insinuated lack of faith in her concoction.

"Just a few things to give it taste, but I don't know, why don't you _try_ it first?"

Aura looked up from the plans and glanced between Naomi and Arian, sipping her own coffee hybrid and feeling rather amused despite the situations' awkwardness. Arian hesitantly took a sip while Naomi stared at him—she was sitting straight up, shoulders back with one arm across her chest, holding the arm in which her cup was held. She watched in this fashion as Arian licked his lips and nodded his head. He turned to her with his eyebrows still bent with skepticism.

"It's good, but it doesn't taste like coffee." He told her straight up. Naomi's eyes widened in mock surprise and she nodded her head.

"Which is why I like it." She took a drink of it herself and finished by licking her own thick lips. Arian wasn't moved.

"That's fine but… I like the taste of _coffee_." Arian responded with a little frustration, which didn't do much for Naomi's stern disposition. She smiled the coldest smile Aura had yet seen and narrowed her eyes.

"_Great_, well you can get coffee when you make it yourself, but for now you'll have to _stomach_ this." Her voice, though sweetly feminine, held a sharp tone. Arian set his drink aside and rolled his eyes.

"Alright, I will, _thanks_." He grumbled and began irately toiling with the equipment again. Naomi continued her death stare into the back of his head and Aura continued to watch them. None of the three noticed the quiet arrival of Link and Amy, who both took note of the shirtless Damien in the field, wrinkling their noses as Naomi had done, and then quietly approached their other friends.

Arian, being so intent on ignoring Naomi's stare, didn't notice the two as his head was nearly fit into the iron barrel he was inspecting, and Naomi, being so intent on staring angrily at Arian, also didn't notice. Aura seemed the only one to perceive the two new shadows hovering over her. She looked up to Amy and smiled, holding her cup with both hands.

"What's going on?" Amy asked in a hushed voice. Though it wasn't necessary to speak in a whisper, the discomfited silence made it feel obligatory. Therefore, Aura answered in an equally hushed tone.

"I think they're fighting." Aura whispered back. The two subjects didn't hear the whispers through all of the background noise.

"About what?" Link whispered.

"Coffee…" Aura trailed off as Naomi looked up, the ice instantly melting from her façade.

"Oh! You're back." She quickly stood, grabbing Arian's rejected cup. He looked up, saw her passively aggressive action and rolled his eyes again before greeting his other two friends with a smirk. Naomi handed her own cup to Amy.

"Here, try this. I mistakenly brought out an extra." She smiled sweetly. Amy hesitantly took the drink and returned Naomi's smile. She took her first sip and followed it up with loud and over emphasized sounds of appreciative satisfaction.

"Thanks, Naomi!!" Amy finished, her eyes wider than usual. Link passed her an incredulous stare while Arian continued to stew over Naomi's present demeanor.

"Would you like some, Link?" Naomi asked with the same sickening sweetness. He cleared his throat and awkwardly, but politely refused.

"Not now…" He said. Amy took another sip of her own drink, sincerely enjoying it but emphasizing that fact with a broad smile.

"I need to leave soon to deliver a message to Castletown." Link explained. Arian immediately perked up.

"Good. I'll go with you." He said, forsaking his project. Naomi once more shot him an icy glare, making him shudder involuntarily, though his expression remained stern.

No one spoke after this as all were afraid of directing Naomi's attention unto themselves. Arian remained very still under the girl's piercing stare, making slow movements as though cornered by a dangerous beast. He had never been more grateful to be addressed by a half-dressed Damien.

"Well hello everyone, and how nice of you two to finally show up." Damien announced in his usual sarcastic tone. No one responded, but Arian smiled at the distraction, even if Naomi's wrath had only been temporarily diverted.

Damien did not take notice of the thick tension. He just smiled and walked directly in front of Aura's barrel, glancing with casual interest at the scrolls which Aura was strenuously studying.

"So, I just got done with the troops for today, though I don't plan on taking it this easy on them tomorrow." Damien said. The group suddenly became aware of the gasping and moaning from all the worn soldiers.

Damien finished his stretching directly in front of Aura, ironically the only one paying him no attention. It was then that Link decided to return to the original topic.

"So… as I was saying… I'm going to deliver a message to Castletown…"

"And I'll be going with him, if you would like to join us, Damien." Arian added. This time he kept himself from shuddering as Naomi intensified her stare. Damien finally noticed.

"Uh… you okay, Naomi?" He asked to most everyone's surprise. To this Aura raised a brow and glanced up, but then quickly reverted back to ignoring him before Damien noticed her movement. Arian's face fell back into a scowl.

"Oh… I'm fine." She answered, breaking her gaze. The sharpness of her tone indicated otherwise and Damien passed her an odd stare before looking to Arian.

"What's going on?" He demanded to know, sounding as the responsible leader of the group, making Aura roll her eyes that stared at the parchment without reading.

"Naomi's mad because I like _coffee_." Arian stage-whispered with crossed arms and a smart tone.

"It _is_ coffee… and you know… I didn't really have to bring you _anything_!" Naomi scoffed, irritated that he was making light of the situation. Arian cocked his head to the side and narrowed his eyes.

"You're right, you didn't, but you asked me what I wanted, and I said _coffee_. That's it, that's all there is to it, and I didn't mean any more than that!" He defended. Damien raised a brow as Naomi growled.

"Well uh…" Damien started, entering into a mediating role. He was, after all, standing between the two. "It appears that Naomi feels like her efforts are underappreciated while Arian thinks that his opinions and interests aren't being taken into consideration. Let me be the first to say that—."

"Shut up, Damien!" Both Naomi and Arian yelled before they resumed their heated stares. Damien shrugged and put his hands on the back of his head, an ironic smile assuming his features.

Amy, who was trying to make a quick escape of the fiasco, let out a strange yelp as she collided with a soldier walking in a gawky fashion. The rest of the group noticed the noise and looked toward the borderline-gangly man. He reached out and steadied a rather frazzled Amy in an unusually mellow manner and continued sauntering past the group.

As soon as Amy thought the soldier was out of earshot, she turned to Link and Aura, finding that she wasn't the only one wearing a bewildered expression.

"Well that was kind of-" She began, but was quickly interrupted by the same soldier, who was running back to them with almost flailing limbs.

"It smells _great_ over here!!" He said with extreme enthusiasm. Amy, Aura, and Link stared with blank expressions, and Naomi and Arian were frozen in mid-glare, confusion quickly taking over their features. Not a word was said for a long, drawn-out moment. All that was heard was the ever-present cawing of a distressed cucco. Damien, sick of the ridiculous amount of awkwardness that seemed to always plague the group, spoke up.

"Hey uh, Dune is it?" He asked, throwing out a random name.

"Yep, that's me!" The man known as Dune replied with a content smile. Slightly surprised at his luck, Damien racked his brain for something else to say. Dune, however, saved him the trouble.

"Who is it that smells so wonderful?" He passed a curious and admiring glance over all three of the girls present. Naomi looked back with a guarded expression, while Aura just raised an eyebrow and Amy sniffed her underarm.

"I'm sure it's Damien. With what he's been doing all day, who _wouldn't _smell good?" Aura said with a half-smile. Damien rolled his eyes.

"Sorry, she finds my manly scent irresistible." He picked up Aura's still steaming cup without warning. "I think this is the smell you're talking about." He took a generous swig while Aura protested inarticulately. Noticing her irritation, Damien rubbed his stubbly chin thoughtfully, appearing to analyze the distinct flavor of the drink.

"Try this. I have a feeling you'll like it." Dune grabbed the offered cup quickly and also tasted it.

"Mmmm! That is _really _good. What is it?"

"Apparently, it's _coffee_." Arian spoke up with a hint of a snarl. Naomi let out a high-pitched huff.

"Dude, _really??_ I had no idea! It sure doesn't taste like coffee." Dune replied, his entire body expressing his surprise.

"_Thank you_." Arian said with exasperated relief.

A loud scream of frustration startled the group as Naomi stomped off, her fists clenched. Another beat of silence passed.

"Hm. That was unexpected." Dune noted. "So you like coffee!" He leaned over to Arian, pressing the half-drunk cup into Aura's hands while holding out his own in greeting, which Arian laughingly shook.

"Why yes, yes I do." He grinned. The two of them, apparently having a lot in common, launched into a conversation which nobody else could follow. They quickly left the group, talking animatedly about Tubas and Deku scrubs.

"Well, that's my cue." Damien said before brushing past Aura and flicking her ponytail. Aura's eyes narrowed, but she remained passive.

Link let out a breath expressing his utter disbelief. He exchanged glances with Amy and Aura.

"Well, guess I'm not heading to Castletown any time soon." He said with raised eyebrows. Amy sucked a deep breath in through her teeth and let out a noisy sigh.

"And I guess I'll go talk to Naomi… after a hot bath."

"I might go ride Epona for awhile." Link replied. Navi abruptly flew from Link's hat with a yawn.

"Whoo, that was some intense sleep. Have you ever woken up and thought you were a rock?" Everyone remained silent. "Did I miss anything?"

"Not a thing…" Aura said, before looking between Amy and Link and shrugging goodbye helplessly.

"Have fun, you two." She watched as they walked in separate directions and then looked down into her cup. Her nose wrinkled in slight disgust, and with a sigh, she dumped the rest of the liquid out onto the grass.

* * *

The tall grasses of Hyrule field bent with the wind. Malon sat upon a buried boulder just outside the fallen boundaries of her ranch. The builders of Kakariko were rebuilding the shoddy walls with stone, so Lon Lon Ranch now had gaps of space where walls used to stand as the renovations were still taking place. Malon took advantage of this new open atmosphere and enjoyed staring off into the distant forests. It was then that Link and Epona broke her reverie.

She heard the hoof beats behind her and joyfully stood, gazing over her shoulder. The sun beams shined down on her glistening red hair.

"Link." Her effeminate voice called as she clasped her hands against her chest. Link smiled at his old friend, and Epona let out a welcoming whinny.

He stepped up beside her, Navi flying over her head.

"I'm glad to see you're alright, Link. It's been a while since you've stopped by the ranch." She noted. Link remained silent, as he always was with her, but that never dissuaded her nor did he mean for it to. "I suppose we truly are in danger. The King has never asked us for anything before, other than our usual delivery of milk." She took a moment to think, staring off into the distance as she did so.

"I would love to go see Zelda once more, before it all starts. She and I became very close in your absence… I wonder how she is doing…" Malon added with some affliction. Link grinned kindly on her compassion.

"We're going to Castletown soon. Would you like us to take you there?" Navi asked. Malon smiled.

"I would love to come. Thank you, Link." She said and wrapped her arms around his neck. Surprise hit Link but Malon was running to get packed for the trip before it had any effect. A blush had spread across his cheeks but he was also a little frustrated with the current predicament.

"That means we have one more person to wait on… doesn't it?" He asked Navi.

"Yup…"

* * *

Amy finished her bath and found Aura napping by the barrel. She had decided that they should find Naomi and together uncover the reason and solution for the random aggression. Aura's peaceful form lay in the soft grass. Amy smiled dumbly and leaned down near Aura's ear.

"Damien's telling all the guards that you have the hots for him." She whispered. Aura's eyes ripped open, her peaceful expression marred by a fierce glare.

"_What_?" She bellowed. Amy shrugged.

"Eh, not really, but since you're awake, help me find Naomi." Amy said and started walking. "I think she went this way…" She sighed. Aura, after recovering from her sudden fury, came to Amy's side.

"Well, uh… If _you_ were crazy, would you storm off this way, or that way?" Aura asked her friend. The two of them stood in contemplative silence until they were interrupted by Dune, the odd soldier.

"Dude, what are you guys doing?" He asked, leaning over to them with a curious expression. Slightly disconcerted by his closeness, Aura spoke up with a creased brow.

"We're looking for Naomi… You know who she is, ri-"

"Oh yeah, I saw her! She's over there!" Dune interrupted while turning to run. The two girls exchanged confused glances, shrugged, and then followed the strangely entertaining soldier.

He did indeed know where Naomi was sulking. She sat upon a wooden rail near the back of the large barn. It was a secluded place, blocked off by stacked crates. Amy quickly walked near Naomi who held her head up for only a second to acknowledge the newcomers.

"Hey Naomi." Amy sat on the wooden rail next to her friend. Amy decided that she would merely be a comforting presence for the time being, letting Naomi come to her in her own time. However, Amy was startled out of this state after seeing blood dripping from the girl's knuckles. "Naomi! What happened?"

"Oh, that was probably from when she annihilated those crates… with her bare hands." Dune responded, pointing to the pile of wooden shards. Naomi growled while Aura and Amy stared with mouths agape.

"It was all I could do!" She jumped off the rail, startling Dune and causing everyone to flinch. "I just wanted to punch him square in the face!" She said through gritted teeth, her bloodied knuckles balled up again.

"Uh, Naomi…" Aura started, fearlessly placing a hand on the rigid girl's shoulder, but keeping the other on the hilt of one of her swords. "Are you sure coffee is really _that_ important. I mean, this guy did save you from Pirates, and he really sticks by you through your crazy episodes."

"What?!" Naomi growled.

"Nothing!" Aura and Amy quickly said, as Dune replied, "Your crazy episodes."

Naomi let out a long sigh, staring at an oblivious Dune as she did so.

"You're right… I just don't know why I feel so _angry_." Naomi said, her tonal anguish returning with the last few words. Aura tightened the grip on her sword. Amy merely looked pensive.

"I guess it's just that kind of a time?.. This month has been crazy for me too." Dune comforted. All three girls suddenly froze.

"The Argusigh!" Naomi uttered the strange word in enlightenment before walking off. Her three companions were confused, but Amy and Aura seemed to have gained some understanding. Aura came closer to Amy.

"Was it your time when we first met Link? Is that why you were so hard on him?" Aura asked with a wry grin. Amy's eyes widened in a revelation.

"Oh wow… it was!" She exclaimed. "And I just finished like… a couple of days ago!" Aura laughed slightly, patting Amy on the back.

"Well, don't worry. I started yesterday." She said. Dune's eyes widened in sudden, belated recognition.

"Oh. Ah. I'm…" He stuttered, exiting quickly without finishing his sentence.

* * *

Naomi ran to the edge of Lon Lon Ranch after hearing from another soldier that Link and Damien had just left for Castletown. She knew that Arian would be with them. They had already left the ranch's walls, which disheartened the girl, but she still held a slight hope. Naomi nimbly climbed up several crates onto the roof of the barn to see over the edge of the wall. Her slight hope faded away once she found that they were already a good distance away. It was half a day's walk to the Castle but their horses had already carried them half the journey. Naomi realized that it would be ridiculous for her to run after them at this point.

"I'm sorry…" She whispered to herself in hopes that maybe the wind would carry her message to him, but she knew that it was unlikely. Naomi would have to wait to make amends until Arian returned.

She sighed deeply and turned back to see all of the soldiers lingering about the field, laughing with Talon and annoying his irate stable hand, Ingo. An idea crossed her mind—something to help her pass the time before Arian's arrival.

With a renewed enthusiasm, Naomi jumped from the rooftop and landed in the middle of several surprised guards, one of which was Dune. Tilting her head to the side, she loudly cracked her neck and then did the same for her fingers. With a smile she addressed one of the larger soldiers standing before her and gaping at her rather unladylike display.

"You, sir." Her confident voice captured everyone's attention. "I challenge you in hand to hand combat. Would you care to face me?"

"You, little lady?" The soldier laughed. Naomi grinned maliciously.

"Me, sir. The first one to bleed loses." She quickly ripped several cloth strips from her apron and wrapped her knuckles. "Discounting these of course." She stretched her arms again. "Unless of course you are afraid to accept my challenge, in which case I will have to continue my search for a worthy opponent." The soldier openly laughed.

"Don't you worry, little lady. I'll play your game, but you just tell me whenever you want to quit, okay?" He said and followed her into the field. Naomi's grin widened and eyes narrowed. She was ready for the challenge. Dune watched from the fence with a curious expression.

* * *

"You doing alright?" Malon asked from behind Arian. The two traveled on the same chestnut steed. This decision came after Arian had confessed to his inferior abilities in horseback riding; he had never ridden one.

"Yeeeaaah." He drawled uncomfortably. His hands fidgeted with the reigns making Malon laugh. "I guess this takes getting used to."

"Malon taught _me_ how to ride a horse, so you're in good hands." Link assured his friend, leading Epona near them. Malon gasped in surprise, making Arian and Damien laugh. Link just continued, though he had momentarily passed her a curious glance. "Of course Epona always goes where I need her to go anyway." Malon continued to gape openly at Link until he raised an inquisitive brow.

"I've never heard you speak…" Malon said. Link forced a grin through his sheepish expression. He avoided her stare, looking to Damien. "Your voice is so… deep…"

"What? This chatterbox?" Damien started in. He expertly rode his black steed. "I can't imagine him ever being quiet." Despite the fact that sarcasm dripped from his statement, Malon passed him a near mortified expression. This was one of the few moments in which Damien was rendered speechless, as he didn't know what to tell the pitiable girl.

"He's kidding, Malon." Arian came to the rescue. He could sense her tenseness in her tightened grip.

"Oh… of course…" She breathed out an uneasy laugh. "It's just so… strange… I've known Link for seven years… and he's never really said anything. He's just nodded his head or mumbled 'Ok.'" She glanced over to Link who had reverted back to his silent disposition. He felt rather uncomfortable about this topic, but Arian once more came to the rescue.

"So, he only speaks when he has something to say." He shrugged, tilting his head back to see Malon. "At least when he finally speaks he pays you a compliment."

Malon began blushing but remained discomfited on the matter.

"Otherwise he communicates through incoherent grunts and shouts." Navi interjected.

"Mmhmm…" Link grunted irritably.

"_Exactly_." Navi finished.

* * *

Castletown was eerily silent. The previous day's announcement had many boarding up the windows and doors of their shops. Only a few dared to cast unnerved glances into the near empty streets. Most from Kakariko had taken refuge with family and friends, but some without either in the castle's city had resorted to hiding in the back alleys or desperately begging for refuge from strangers and soldiers, appearing as crazed homeless.

This same trepidation hung over the king in his luxurious study, decorated with royal colors and foreign tapestries, where he was currently meeting with Kerrik, the Draconian ruler, and Leon, the Minrithian and former keeper of the ancient spell now in Arian's possession. Leon had fully recovered from his plague in the desert thanks to Naomi's and Thrucian's remedies, and now that his strength had returned he pledged his loyalties to the Hylian King, offering whatever help he could.

"There aren't many Minrithians who would come to aid in a war, nor any that would be able to… but I am sure there may be some who remain loyal to you, even after you released our lands." Leon professed. The king nodded his head solemnly, the life slowly draining from his strained features increasing his apparent age. Tatl's light upon his face as she circled him only rejuvenated him slightly.

"Thank you, Leon…" The king replied, he bowed his head and turned to Kerrik, whose usually jolly and wrinkled face was solemn like the others. "I take it the Gorons are treating you and your people kindly."

"Very much so. They are allowing us to use their caverns for housing, the volcano for our Dragonry, and we are allowed to kill and eat as many dadongos as we like. I am most obliged. I believe we are also arranging for our remaining dragon riders to help transport some to Kakariko when the time comes."

"Yes, it would be good to keep that town, and some will remain to hold the mountain?" The king asked. Kerrik proudly nodded.

"Good… and Naomi has sent word that the Zora's are still in debate. I expected as much, for the Zora's are known for lengthy deliberations in politics. They feel obligated to take their time with hefty decisions such as this." The king explained. A knock sounded on the door, entering a castle soldier.

"Sire, the green hero and his friends have arrived. They are in the market now, helping the guards resolve a conflict." The soldier announced uneasily. Each face grew concern upon the latter statement.

"What conflict?" The king asked worriedly.

Fear and panic had aroused the conflict in the city's streets upon the arrival of Malon and the three heroes. The soldiers had been trying to quell the unnerved citizens, displaced by the anticipated disaster, but upon Link's arrival, one of the distressed Kakarikoers assumed the worst—believing the war nearly ready to start. This panicking disposition then spread as a plague among most others, and the castle soldiers found themselves forcibly restraining the distressed citizens, keeping them from charging the castle.

Link and Damien had immediately gone to work in aiding the soldiers, trying to capture the crowd's attention and silence their fretful rampage without much avail. Arian sat with Malon and both dismounted, watching the people trying to scale the gates into the castle courtyard.

"Oh my goodness…" Malon whispered. Arian agreed with a hum. "What are we going to do?" Arian didn't respond to her open question. He merely handed her the horse's reigns and walked towards the barraged gates. He climbed up some vines a short ways away to reach the top of the stone archway through means of the tall cleft leading up to it.

Once at the top, standing over the seal, he looked down at the panicking people who were completely ignoring Damien's and Link's pleas for calm. In the chaos, Navi was flying from person to person, trying to aid Link in his attempts to address the people. Arian was not long alone at that perch. The king, Leon, and Kerrik soon joined him, also staring down in contemplative worry. Tatl flew from the King's side and went down to help Damien, as Navi was helping Link.

"Your majesty." Arian addressed the king without removing his gaze from the worrisome chaos below them. His grace didn't seem to mind, for he too couldn't break his gaze.

"They seem to be seeking a safe refuge… worried the war is about to break out." Arian explained. "So they decided to break one out first." The king nodded with his mouth still agape.

"I need to get their attention." He finally said. Arian agreed, nodding his head.

"I got it." He reassured his majesty before stepping a little closer to the edge, bracing one foot on top of the decorative statue hanging over the stone gate.

A great roaring howl erupted over the crowd, scaring them into silence. They all looked with wide eyes towards the source sitting atop the gate and waited for their untimely demise. Arian stared back at them, slowly returning to his human form. The king and Kerrik both gazed at the boy in astounded surprise while Malon tried to quell the rearing horses in the distance—Epona being the only animal unaffected.

"That's a good lad." Leon laughed and patted Arian on the back.

"Ehm." The king cleared his throat and addressed the fretful people. "Castletown is safe, however, if you do not currently have housing then you may register with the city's innkeeper and the overflow shall take up residence in the castle. All people remaining in the market or accepting strangers into their home shall be rewarded for their kindness and courage." The people began to stand more comfortably, but not all felt completely reassured, so the king continued.

"On the day of the battle, everyone unable to fight shall obey the soldiers in their instructions for taking refuge in the castle, proceeding _in an orderly fashion_. Anyone not willing to comply peacefully and calmly can leave Castletown now and fend for themselves in the wilderness." He ended sternly. The people's remaining fears would now keep them obedient, but they continued looking to their king for orders. "Now go to Castletown Inn and register. Wait in the lounge, eat a good lunch, and wait until someone comes to lead you into the castle and to your room."

The crowd began to leave. Link and Damien stared in utter disbelief of how such a violent group could have been quelled so quickly with so few words.

"Open the gate for them, Mantague." The king ordered the soldier standing below them.

"Aye, sir." He replied, tapping his spear on the ground which somehow unlocked the gate behind him so that Damien, Link, and Malon could lead the horses inside.

"This sort of thing was never heard of in my old kingdom…" Damien whispered to Link who also couldn't believe such a response.

"It hadn't been heard of until now…" Navi said solemnly. Tatl shuddered in agreement next to Damien. "Why would they have panicked like that?... We need to do something to keep them calm, Link." Link nodded in agreement, but went on without the faintest idea of how they would do such a thing.

The study now held three more men of valor. Malon had been escorted to Princess Zelda's chambers, where she had been sitting in contemplative silence since Link and Amy had left for Death Mountain. The king was more than grateful for the young ranch girl's presence, as he was worried for his daughter and knew that Malon's company might lighten her mood.

It had always been evident that Zelda was more than she appeared, the king knew this well, but he also understood that no matter what fate had her destined to be, she was still a young woman with human needs and would also always be his little girl.

His familial stress mixed with the burden of the kingdom was wearing him thin and Link hated to once more remind him of the current predicament with his message from Darunia, but he delivered it all the same.

The king hunched forward in his seat after reading it, nodding his head and rubbing his short beard.

"I'm glad to hear that the gorons are strong… they are good allies." He told the group, looking to Link graciously for bringing him good news. The green hero took a deep breath, glad to hear he had lessened this man's burdens.

"Well, your majesty…" He tried, feeling weird at addressing his father in such a way. In fact, this was the first time the King had ever heard him speak. During Link's pause in speech, the King's expression lightened considerably. A strangely tender expression shined in his eyes.

"No, don't address me so formally." He said, turning to the rest of the people present in the room, "I have enough reminders of my responsibilities as it is. Call me Rhone." He looked back at Link, a slight smile on his face, "Or whatever else you feel comfortable with."

"Alright, Rhone." Damien broke the warm quiet. "The men are doing well in Lon Lon Ranch right now, and once you get everyone settled here, things ought to calm down."

"Like a calm before the storm…" King Rhone sighed out.

"That's certainly true…" Damien concurred. The remainder of the group had grown sorrowful like the king and Damien decided to set aside his jokes to offer some comfort to his fellow warriors. "But, I will admit, si—er… Rhone… that I'm already feeling far more prepared than the last time… Remember, we've already defeated him once. Mankind has prevailed before and we can do it again." His words struck all who listened, having the effect he had intended.

Rhone smiled.

"Of course… what a silly thing to forget…" He thought aloud. "Well, let us celebrate this new notion over dinner, and then I shall see you three off. I believe you have more work to do with the guard, don't you Damien?" He nodded. "And you, Link. You have many things to do, I'm sure."

"Yeah, he always does." Arian answered for him. "He never seems to have an agenda or a plan, but he always gets the job done."

"Well, maybe if he'd listen to me like the Deku Tree told him to then he'd have a plan." Navi complained, passively indicating her frustration near Link's pointed ear.

"But the kid does alright." Tatl interjected. "He's clumsy and sloppy, but he does get the job done."

All smiled and concurred, looking to the surprised and rather embarrassed Link while they each thought of a different task completed by the green hero that had been witnessed or heard of.

"Let's go to dinner, big guy." Damien put an arm around his shoulder and walked out at Link's side. Arian laughed and followed right before the other three, all feeling slightly less burdened thanks to the legendary forest boy who always seemed to help, whether he meant to or not.


	39. Timing Or Lack Thereof

**A/n: So uh, thirteen pages posted on Friday the 13****th****. Yeah, that's why we waited so long. It wasn't because we were suffering from severe writers block, horrible life stress, and a bad case of Argus-sigh. Yeah, it was because the numbers are cool. For all who are reading this: THANK YOU. We really understand how frustrating it is to have to wait so long and we admire your patience. We hope this chapter was worth the wait.**

* * *

**Chapter 39: Timing (Or Lack Thereof)**

Sparks came from the grinding wheel as the Aura Arma, Aura's curved blades, were being sharpened. Amy sat with her own sword, waiting for her turn. She ran her hand along the braided metal running through the middle of the blade. Its iridescent glow warmed the small shack of a room.

The grinding wheel sat in the circular hay silo sitting in the back of the ranch, and Amy and Aura were currently its only occupants.

"Is it just me, or has Naomi gone utterly insane?" Aura asked while admiring her handiwork. Amy nodded emphatically.

"I don't know what happened. She was so sweet. I remember fearing that something or someone might break her or something. That's why I followed you guys… to protect her."

"You know, I felt the same way. I was worried she'd be taken advantage of. She seemed so naïve." Aura concurred, sitting across from Amy with her own sword.

A loud shriek pulled them both onto their feet and they ran to the open door, looking out onto the field. The large masses of soldiers were gathered around Naomi, watching as a particularly burly man lunged towards her. Aura and Amy started towards the apparent feud with panicked expressions. However, in one quick motion, Naomi flipped the man over her shoulders and onto the ground with startling ease. The man remained still, mostly from shock. The two girls stayed their positions.

"Well…" Amy clicked her tongue, her eyebrows raised. "Guess she can fend for herself." Several of the soldiers started cheering and taking rupees from some of the disappointed bystanders.

"Are they placing bets?"

"Yeah." Amy laughed.

"I think we should get in on that action." Aura said with a serious expression.

"Are you suggesting that we gamble… on our _friend_?" Amy was incredulous.

"Absolutely." Aura deadpanned.

"Eh, alright then." Amy shrugged. "I'm gonna have to gamble with deku nuts though, because I have no rupees whatsoever."

"Sounds good to me."

* * *

_To Brother Rhone, King of Hyrule,_

_I, Darunia, sage of fire, pledge my loyalties to you, my Hylian brother. The strength of my army shall shake the ground of our enemies._

_Until you send word, I shall remain on Death Mountain. Here we have given refuge to the strong Draconians, whose leader I know is with you. The alliance against Pravumerus now amounts to three nations. _

_Pledges,_

_Brother Darunia, King of Gorons _

"Pravumerus…" King Rhone said to himself. He had heard that name before, but the meaning currently escaped him.

He sat alone in his room. Link had given him the message from the Goron leader before dinner, but the king had just gotten around to reading it, having been entangled with finding safe dwelling for the scared and misplaced Hylians.

A crackling from the lit fireplace warded off any deafening silence, giving comfort to the king while he sat in his chair thinking over the letter and Pravumerus. His thoughts were broken and a smirk crossed his lips.

"Impa." He said without moving. A dark figure had appeared at the window behind him. Rhone now turned to face his long time friend.

Impa, sage of shadow, stood as her usual self; clad in armor of the Sheikah with blinding white hair and piercing red eyes. Her broad and strong figure created an intimidating presence, but Rhone gladly approached her anyway. As he came to a stop near her, Impa cracked a smile. She held out a hand which the king gladly took and they embraced as brother and sister would.

"It is good to see you again." Rhone announced.

"If only it wasn't a sign of troubled times." Impa added and the king silently agreed. "I see you have received a message from Darunia—it means he has returned safely." The king nodded again.

"Yes, and he is giving refuge to the Draconians. I'm going to assume that you've already heard of them."

"In history, yes… The original sage of fire was of their kind." Impa informed him. The king nodded—he was growing tired and nodding had become his immediate response to everything.

"And the original sage of water came from the Nynians, the spirit sage from Ikana Kingdom, and both shadow and light originally came from Minirith." The king recited.

"The sage of forest was once a Hylian, and the seventh of the sages…" Impa trailed off, allowing Rhone to finish.

"Is always the princess of destiny." He grinned fondly at fathering such a princess, though he often wished his daughter did not have to carry such responsibility. "All are now accounted for… and the other sages ought to be returning to their temples as well." Impa nodded her head, but worry struck her features.

"They should be, but I fear that they may cross danger on their journey here. Saria, I know, will need help finding safe passage, and I worry for Nabooro as well, though she is very strong. But I am here to worry after the sage of light."

"Rauru." The king grinned. "The only remaining sage from ancient times… is he too returning?" Impa nodded her head.

"He is, but he will need the help of the princess, and the hero."

"I shall summon them to the Temple of Time then… that is the ancient temple of light, is it not?"

"Yes, the chosen gateway to the sacred realm… Rauru will need the power of the triforce to regain a physical being—he has become a part of the realm." Impa explained.

"Tomorrow morning then… I shall send a message now. I suppose I could also ask Link to bring Saria safely to the castle, after he has helped Rauru." Rhone thought aloud. Impa nodded her head with a ghost of a smile. In fluid movements, she stepped back and disappeared in a flash of light.

Rhone blinked rapidly, still not used to her manner of exit. Then, with a sigh, he turned towards a corner of the room.

"You can come out now, Tatl." There was silence for a moment, and then the tiny white light of the fairy appeared in the corner.

"I… I thought I was completely incognito!"

"Fairy light is a difficult thing to hide." The king answered. "Well, since you heard me anyway, why don't you go and tell Link all he needs to know. I'm sure Impa has gone to see Zelda, and, if she hasn't, I'm sure Zelda will conveniently turn up where she needs to be anyway… she has a tendency to do that…" Rhone finished with a thoughtful musing before nodding Tatl onward.

The fairy acted as all fairies do and contentedly took her commission. She immediately zoomed down the hall, bumping into a vase and a standing suit of armor in her wild attempts to avoid passing strangers whilst calling a happy greeting to all.

Two floors down, underneath the south tower, was the small shack of a room housing Link and his two friends, Arian and Damien. The three of them had already settled down for the night in hammocked bunks stacked three high, diagonally across the room, as diagonally was the only way one could lie down in this small room.

Tatl quickly found Link on the very top of these and began flying in a zigzagged motion about him.

"Hey! Wake Up!" When none of the boys awoke Tatl made a keen observation. "Sheesh, can the future of Hyrule really depend on such lazy boys?"

Navi, who had been snoozing in Link's hat, flew to her aid.

"Yeah, tell me about it. No worries, we'll double team it."

Both fairies began flying in zigzagged motion about the three sleeping boys. The high and squeaky echoing of "Hey" and "Wakeup" quickly did the trick—a little too well in fact.

Link flipped out of the topmost bunk and fell to the floor with a great shout. Damien erupted from his sleep and drew out his glowing sword. Sol Repraisal lit the entire room. Arian continued to sleep on his bottom bunk.

Damien joined Link on the ground, keeping his sword out only for light as he had quickly surmised that they were in no real danger.

"What is it Tatl, Navi?" Link grumbled as he stood.

"Arian." Damien nudged the boy who mumbled "dekus… everywhere…" along with something incoherent. "_Arian_." Damien said louder and shook his hammock with a little more force. There was still nothing, so Damien rolled his eyes and untied one end of the hammock. Arian fell to the floor in an awkward fashion. The boy finally pulled out of his stupor.

"Wha-what's going on?" He asked with a yawn. He seemed unaware of the fact that he was on the ground.

"Tatl and Navi apparently have something to tell us." Damien informed him.

"Hey, Listen!" Tatl said again, everyone was now awake and paying attention. "The king wished for me to deliver a message. Link, you must meet with him tomorrow morning in the Temple of Time."

A silence ensued, broken by Arian.

"Now, why did you wake me up again?"

Damien also wondered why he had been woken.

"Is that all you had to say, Tatl?" He asked with a tone of frustration.

"That's all I was _told_ to say." She answered coyly. Damien took in a deep breath through his nose.

"Is there anything that applies to Arian and me?" He asked a second question.

"Not that _I _know of." Tatl responded. Damien looked to Arian who shared his irritation.

"Whelp, let's go back to bed." Arian announced as he stood and retied his hammock. "How did this thing come undone?" He muttered to himself. Damien remained silent and Link began to climb a ladder back up to his very high bunk. His back was throbbing from his latest fall. Tatl and Navi followed after him.

"It was such a weird meeting… This woman named Impa showed up. She says that the sages are all returning—whatever that means. Also, you're going to need to help some chick named Saria."

"Saria!?" Link turned too abruptly and ended up on the floor again. Damien looked down at him sympathetically before looking at Tatl.

"Do you have anything else to say before Link breaks a leg?" Damien crossed his arms.

"Just that I think the king and the sages actually know more about this situation than we do… at least now after we've alerted them of it. I mean, sheesh, they knew all about the Draconians, the Nynians, Minrithians—I had never heard any of those terms until last week and now they're popping up all over the place!"

Arian, having just finished fixing his bunk, was also now interested.

"Okay Tatl, tell us everything that happened." He crossed his arms like Damien. Link stood, adjusted his tunic, and waited for Tatl's explanation.

With a strange stiffness uncharacteristic to her, Tatl recited word-for-word what had been exchanged between Rhone and Impa. All were rather impressed and mildly disturbed by her imitations of both parties.

"So, Lord Devoren is Pravumerus." Arian repeated for confirmation. "And the sages are coming to help us return him to his ancient bindings." Tatl jingled her affirmative reply.

A rapping at the door interrupted their contemplative silence. A momentary pause—none of them were expecting company, especially not at so late a time. Arian, being the closest to the door by a mere inch, reached out to open it, revealing red-haired and fair Malon wrapped tightly in a shawl and holding her whicker lamp.

"I'm sorry to bother you, but Zelda has gone missing. I'm sharing her bedchamber, and she left for a bit of air and never returned. I know she's the princess, and quite old enough to care for herself, but it's been several hours now and I'm worried." Malon expressed her worries with a modest blush over her cheeks. The three gentlemen pitied the anxious girl.

"I'm sure Zelda is fine, but we can look for her if you like." Arian offered, feeling as if an action should be taken to tend to her concern.

An unspoken consensus ended with the four of them searching for Zelda together. No arrangements, no plans, just a midnight stroll with two lanterns to find the princess.

"This is where she normally comes for air." Link said. He was the most knowledgeable of his sister, but Zelda was a very unpredictable person, and she was not currently standing in her normal spot. Fruitless pondering came to an end when Impa appeared near them.

"Zelda has already gone to the Temple of Time." Impa announced. Her empowering presence was familiar to Link, but it had a silencing effect on the other three. "It appears we have to act sooner than we thought." She informed him before taking a step down the path. The group automatically followed.

The imposing steeples of the ancient temple loomed before them. Impa stopped at the entrance, turning to urge the hero on, but only the hero. Link continued up the steps with Navi hovering above his head, but the other three remained, Tatl taking to Damien.

So they stood together at the bottom of the stairs, near some rather strange looking statues with eerily piercing eyes.

"Whelp… why did we follow Mr. Hero?" Damien asked the other two.

"What else were we gonna do?" Tatl replied. Silence ensued.

"I brought cheese." Malon drew out a cloth sack, revealing two hunks of cheddar.

"Cheese!" Arian replied with a bit of excitement as he reached for a piece. Damien passed Malon an odd stare.

"Do you just carry cheese around?" He asked.

"Of course."

"Do you carry anything else in there?"

"Sometimes I carry incubating cucco eggs." Came Malon's nonchalant answer. Damien cracked an incredulous smile, but Arian took no notice of the oddity. He was tired and occupied with eating cheese.

Inside the temple was a different story. Link had entered to hear the strange echoes of the mysterious temple. Three spiritual stones turned about a pedestal before the door of time, now open to reveal the Master Sword. There stood Zelda, her hand to her chest.

"Link, I was waiting for you." Her soft voice floated to him as he stepped near.

"Uhh…" Link grunted, suddenly realizing that everyone else had remained outside. He was also baffled simply by the fact that Zelda somehow expected him to know she was waiting and to know exactly _where_ she was waiting for him. As usual, Zelda took no notice of his awkwardness. She turned wistfully back to the pedestal of time.

"The sacred realm is no longer safe. An ancient evil has been awoken."

"Ugh, what else is new?" Link heard Navi mutter under her breath. He smothered a chuckle.

"We must bring the sage of light back. Will you help me?" She turned back to him, an expectant smile on her lips. Link nodded his head, contemplating the possible effects of a flat out refusal, but he knew Zelda would eventually manipulate him into saying yes, staring at him with clasped hands until he did so.

Zelda turned back to the pedestal, her flaxen hair swishing across her back. She closed her eyes, a bright light emanating from her hand—the power of the triforce. Link's sign of courage erupted from his right gauntlet as well.

"Link, draw out the Black Sword." Zelda commanded. His left hand reached behind his back for the hilt without hesitation while his right blazed with the triforce of courage.

The dark sheen of his sword seemed to absorb the light in the room. Link held it before him to get a better look, admiring the dark black of the blade and wondering at the shining surface that gave no reflection.

The triforce of courage and wisdom blazed brighter and the sword sifted out of Link's hands, becoming floating specks of black light. They traveled to the pedestal and encompassed the Master Sword. The triforce at the base came to life, and Link knew what to do.

He walked up the shallow steps. His left hand reached for the hilt of this ancient but familiar weapon. It had been seven years, but his hands remembered the touch of this sword, and it felt as though the blade remembered him. Zelda stood behind him and the blue beams of the sacred realm surrounded them both.

The princess held out her hands. Her brow creased in concentration and the sacred light bent to her will, leaving Link be as he pulled the sword from the stone. Zelda forced the light together, and Rauru stood before Link, living in human form for the first time in centuries.

"Oh my—what a rough trip!" The muttering old man cracked his neck. Zelda and Link were at a loss, and Rauru seemed content to stretch out his tired old limbs and mumble to himself.

"You think _that's _rough? Try being stuck in the sacred realm for _seven freaking years_!!" All three looked to the little blue fairy who shook with the force of her words, "Link may have been asleep, but _I wasn't_!!"

"Yes… you were quite a pain…" Rauru reminisced, his mustache moving with his thoughts. He turned to the princess and the hero. "Things are moving much faster than predicted, we only have a month's time. You must return to Lon Lon Ranch first thing tomorrow and inform the others." Link nodded.

Outside, Arian had fallen asleep after eating the cheese. He was curled up at the bottom of the stairs. Malon stroked a hair out of his face, earning a dubiously irritated glance from Damien.

"What are you doing?" He asked Malon with a raised brow.

"I was just admiring how peaceful he looks in the moonlight." Malon answered with blunt honesty. Damien's other brow rose.

"Uh, Arian is—."

"Link!" Malon jumped to her feet to greet the returning hero. Damien also greeted him and kicked Arian awake.

"Hm, what is it?" Arian stirred. One eye caught the green hero standing over him. "Oh, you're back." He said in a yawn. Link smiled and twisted a new, gleaming blade once in his hand. Damien and Link immediately noticed the difference.

"A new sword? But what about the Black Sword?" Damien remarked worriedly.

"It is the Black Sword." Link reassured him. "But it was absorbed by the Master Sword. It means we now have the power of the sages."

"And Rauru has returned." Navi told them.

"Who's Rauru?" Tatl asked. Her question was answered as the three of them saw Zelda and Impa escorting the old sage towards the castle. The three of them gave a nod towards the new old man as he disappeared around the corner.

"What _is_ it with all the old men?" Tatl asked once the three were out of earshot.

"I don't know, but they've all proved pretty useful so far, so I say the more old guys the better." Arian shrugged his shoulders and fingered the stone hanging around his neck. He glanced up at the moon with a wry smile.

"Sounds great Scooter, but right now I think Mr. Hero needs to tell us something." Damien interjected before looking to Link, who did indeed have something to say… for once.

"We only have a month." Link cut to the chase.

"A month?" Malon's voice turned shrill in panic. "Until the war starts?" She shuddered. Arian sat a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry, we'll take care of it." He said before turning back to Link. "I guess that means we need to be heading back now."

"First thing in the morning." Link disagreed.

"It is the morning." Arian pointed out. They all took note of the sun peaking over the horizon.

"Oh, well then yes, now."

"Hopefully Naomi's still asleep…" Arian sighed.

"Are you still mad about that coffee thing?" Damien arched a brow.

"No, but I'm thinking _she_ still is." Arian crossed his arms. "You know her, she nitpicks everything to death."

"She is rather aggressive for a girl." Malon concurred. Damien crossed his arms as well and shared his incredulous stare with Link.

"We need to get going. Malon, why don't you go pack your things." Link nodded her on as Tatl came near Link's ear.

"This is bad, Link. I'm not a romantic, but I'd hate to see such a couple torn apart. You should say something." For once, Link agreed. Malon's prevalent blush as Arian smiled at her left him feeling queasy.

The friendly and normally rather likeable redhead was soon also out of sight and Link cleared his throat. He sheathed the new shining blade before speaking.

"Arian, I don't think Naomi will still be mad, and even if she is, I don't think avoiding her would be very helpful at this time." Link was surprised by his eloquent phrasing.

"I know…" Arian replied half-heartedly. He began rubbing the bridge of his nose as if it were in pain. "I just wish I had realized how… how uh…"

"Crazy she is?" Damien finished for him.

"Well… yeah. How crazy she is _before_ we got involved."

"Woah, hold on." Link interjected. "Yes Naomi is crazy, but she is definitely your kind of crazy, because to be honest, you're crazy too! It just works!" He trailed off as his frustration and coherence wore off. Arian was dumbfounded, so Damien decided to translate.

"I think what Link is trying to say is that insanity is the spice of life, and together, you two make one _spicy_ couple."

Now Link was dumbfounded.

"That wasn't what I was trying to say _at all_!"

Damien shrugged with a smirk, but Arian seemed to be won over. He started laughing.

"You know… You're right!" He heaved a sigh. "I don't know what I was thinking… Naomi can't be mad forever, and I normally find her insanity endearing."

"Don't we all." Damien agreed.

"And while we're being honest," Navi stole the spotlight. "I think _all_ of you are crazy." There was a stony silence as everyone stared at Navi, including the yellow fairy. "What?... _what_?"

* * *

Naomi sighed again, and Amy noticed again. She and Aura were sitting at the kitchen table, and Naomi was pacing with a mild limp near the fire. The flickering light revealed several bruises and a black eye.

"You did it again." Amy groaned. "You've sighed like… twenty two thousand times!"

"Really? Twenty two thousand." Aura deadpanned. Naomi ignored them both. She sighed again. Aura gritted her teeth and flinched as Amy groaned irritably.

Naomi stopped her pacing momentarily and jerked her head towards the window.

"They're back!" She exclaimed and ran to the window of the ranch house.

Amy and Aura stared blankly. A few seconds later they heard the sound of approaching horses.

"Really? Seriously? She could hear that but couldn't hear our conversation?" Amy queried with mild irritation.

"They say that lovers can sense when the other is near." Aura said mysteriously. Amy glanced at her with a wry grin as Aura smiled dumbly.

"That was special." Amy noted before she and Aura joined Naomi at the window.

The three watched as Link approached with Epona. Damien rode his horse behind them and Arian rode with Malon at the back. They dismounted nearer the barn. Arian turned to offer a helping hand to Malon whose cheeks turned the color of her hair. She slid into his arms, much to his surprise, but he gently set her on the ground nevertheless.

All the while, Naomi and her two friends watched from the window. Amy and Aura's mouths were agape as they watched a flirty Malon kiss Arian's cheek to thank him. Surprise crossed his features, but he didn't think anything of it.

"You're welcome." He laughed.

Naomi remained expressionless and still.

"Naomi…" Aura said quietly, her wide eyes looking concerned. Amy was worried as well. Naomi did not respond to them, but their words spurred her into action. She walked over to the fire where a pot of coffee had been kept warm. She ladled some into a cup just as the four travelers entered the ranch house. The cold morning air momentarily chilled the room.

Malon's airy voice was the first thing to be heard.

"Oh wow, you guys have coffee on and everything. Thank you _so_ much for taking care of the ranch while I was gone." Malon swooped in and gave a sincerely sweet greeting to both Amy and Aura. Naomi stayed her place by the fire.

Damien removed his gauntlets with an oddly stern rigidness and Link came to stand near Amy. He wore the same expression the other two girls did. Arian and Malon appeared the only ones with any perk, both due to their obliviousness.

"Boy have we got some big news." Arian started out, worriedly thinking on their shortened time frame. He had yet to see Naomi standing in the corner.

"Yes. Arian has learned to ride a horse!" Malon laughed as she sat at the table. Arian was mildly embarrassed and flustered by the unexpected change in topic.

"No that wasn't… well, yes… thanks to Malon I can now ride a horse, but… where's Naomi?" He turned his head to find she was already walking towards him. Her lips were curved into a smile, though her eyes lacked any sign of happiness.

"Naomi, I--" He started as he saw her, but quickly became distracted. "What happened to your eye?" She kept her odd smile and said nothing. Naomi handed him the cup, which he accepted with some confusion. He looked down to the black coffee while Naomi began heading towards the door. Damien saw her coming near and opened the door for her. He saw the stiffness in her posture and respectfully provided her escape.

"Thank you." Naomi's whisper was barely audible, and she left.

"Is she alright? She was limping!" Malon asked worriedly. Silence ensued and the group heard the barn doors open and close.

"Well! Um… Malon, I think we need to… if you could uh… how can I put this?" Amy started.

"Could you leave?" Aura finished.

"Oh! Sure, of course. I need to start my rounds." Malon quickly stood from the table and headed out the ranch door. Damien remained still as she exited. The clink of the door segued into another silence. All eyes were on Arian, who was still at a loss for words.

"_Awkward_…" Navi whispered conspicuously, which could unfortunately be heard by all in the dead of the silence.

"Ok, what is going on? Why is everyone staring at me? Why is Naomi being so…" Expressions and frustrated gesticulations finished that thought, "And _how_ did she get hurt like that?" Arian finally broke. Amy clenched her fists.

"Really Arian?" She ignored the brunt of his questions. "Really? You didn't think letting Malon hang all over you, and I mean _literally_ hang all over you, would make Naomi upset? Never mind the fact that she's been _sighing_ all morning because she misses you and wanted to apologize, and woke me up at friggin' who knows _what_ time, so she could make your stupid coffee, and you have _no_ idea why she's upset? You're lucky she didn't _punch_ you in the _face_, which is actually what she wanted to do yesterday!" Amy's tirade continued. Her gestures became more expressive as her anger increased.

"But, no! No, she didn't punch you in the face. No! _Instead_ she bloodies her knuckles on crates, _then_ starts a fight with like _every_ soldier out there—except Dune… and she won every fight by the way, I made five rupees off of her! Which is why I don't gamble… But! She does all this because of stupid Argus-whatever." She paused for a moment to gather her thoughts. "Anyways! At least Naomi realized it was a stupid fight about coffee, the only reason she was fighting is because _you_ didn't say _thank you_—like that's hard! THEN! When she's feeling apologetic, decrepit, and all together pitiful, she witnesses that little display of coquettishness, and in flounces _Malon_," Amy said while imitating Malon's flouncing. "Acting like you two just had a fling. _We_ don't know what happened while you were gone, so what do you expect Naomi to think?"

"Amy." Link placed a hand on her shoulder. Amy suddenly realized that everyone was now staring at her. An odd silence passed before Arian set his coffee cup on the table. He nodded to his friends and left the ranch house.

"Well…" Damien laughed after the door closed.

"I couldn't have said it better, Amy." Aura said with an arched brow.

"Oh, you could have." Damien argued. "_Anyone_ could have."

"But it would've been far less entertaining." Link added with a grin. Amy started fanning herself.

"Woah, I got really worked up there."

* * *

Naomi heard the door open. She gasped in a breath and turned away. She used her apron to wipe away any evidence of tears, and then turned to face the newcomer with a forced smile. When she saw it was Arian, her face dropped. He closed the door behind him.

"Naomi." He called, as he had yet to see her. Her hands crossed her chest and clenched her arms. Her anger brewed at the sound of his voice. "Naomi, I know you're in here. We need to talk." He started walking into the shadows. Naomi shook her head and began quietly climbing into the loft.

Despite her attempt to be inconspicuous, Arian heard her. His head jerked and he caught sight of her skirt disappearing to the floor above the stables.

"Naomi." He sighed out and followed after her. "Come down, you don't need to run from me, and I don't want to climb this." He looked up with one hand on the wooden ladder. Naomi peeked over the edge. Arian smiled.

"Really, come on. I want to talk. We _need_ to talk." He spoke quieter now that she could see him. Her expression did not change. It was blank. Her little white hands reached around the top rung.

"Yeah, come on down." Arian held open his arms. Naomi's gaze grew scornful and she forcefully pushed the ladder over. It fell into the other side of the wall and broke in two. Naomi grinned before disappearing. Arian sighed.

"Alright…" He muttered to himself. Gold overtook the green of his eyes and he turned to the beast. With a great leap, he hooked his claws into the side of the wall and pushed off again to bound onto the loft where Naomi appeared significantly disgruntled. Her lips were closed, eyes were narrowed, and the tension in her face caused her lower lip to quiver. She did not speak, but once more turned to walk away.

"Naomi." Arian chased her, his call sounded with more severity.

Naomi walked behind a tall stack of hay, and Arian quietly jumped around to the other side of it. He blocked her exit.

"I know what it looked like—Amy informed me of it—but that's not what happened and you know it." He confronted her. Naomi still couldn't speak, her energy focused on keeping her eyes clear of tears. She turned around again, hoping to escape the other way. She just didn't want to face him now. Arian, however, had other plans, involving a concerned game of cat and mouse that frustrated Naomi beyond belief. The tears came on the fifth trip back and forth between those particular stacks and she broke into a run.

"Naomi—Na…_Naomi_!" Arian's voice sounded as he too raced her to again block her exit.

The pathetically childish game ended when Naomi stumbled in her race. Arian was able to grab her arm and pull her towards him. She was teary eyed, winded, and livid. She unthinkingly balled her hand into a fist and thrashed at her captor. Arian was surprised, but dodged the attack and brought her closer.

"Naomi…" He whispered quietly while holding her tightly. She was shaking with exacerbated tension. Arian rested his head in the crook of her neck. "I'm sorry." Naomi's eyes were now streaming and red.

"I am too… for the coffee." She said and again tried to push him away. He painfully permitted it and she took two steps back. "I didn't want to do this in front of you—in front of anyone!" Naomi snapped as she again used her apron to wipe away her tears.

"They're just tears." Arian told her.

"They're a sign of weakness." Naomi corrected and took a deep breath to compose herself.

"Only if you consider having emotions a weakness." Arian closed the distance between them with a step. "I'm not for crying at everything, but there are certainly appropriate times for it… like now…" He reached out and wiped away an escaped tear. Naomi finally looked him in the eyes. She sniffled, her nose runny now, but a sincere smile had finally formed on her face.

"I would never mean to hurt you, and I could never leave you. I thought you knew that." He told her.

"I knew… I just forgot…" Naomi responded, tears continued to fall, though now from her relieved guilt. "I'm sorry." She shook her head mournfully. Arian laughed in a delicate way.

"Maybe I just need to remind you more often." A reminder in a kiss that dried her tears. The lovers held onto each other a little longer, holding an embrace until all was calm and their present state returned to memory.

"The war is going to start soon, isn't it?" Naomi asked, her head resting on his shoulder.

"Yes…" Arian replied from her shoulder.

"I'm scared."

"Me too." He gripped her tighter.

* * *

Link, Amy, Aura, and Damien sat in silence at the ranch table. They all had a cup of coffee sitting before them, though Arian's still sat on the table untouched.

"They've been gone for a while." Amy stood up and looked out the window again before returning to her seat.

"That's good, it means they're talking, right?" Damien speculated. Aura raised a brow.

"I don't know… maybe we should go make sure Arian's still alive."

"I'm fairly sure we would have heard him screaming by now if that were the case." Link nodded thoughtfully. They heard the loud scrape of the barn door opening. All became alert, waiting for their friends to enter.

"Wait, we shouldn't be sitting awkwardly like this. Quick, someone think of a topic!" Aura suggested. Amy was the first to respond.

"Well uh, I've always been curious about wood." She said in earnest.

"…What?" Aura was thoroughly surprised.

"You know… different types of wood… Like this table is a much darker wood than what grew on my island. It also has a lot more knots… what causes these little knots anyways?" The door behind them clicked open, and everyone readily forgot the wood conversation.

Naomi and Arian walked in to complete silence and expectant smiles.

"Is the fight really over?" Damien bellowed hopefully. Arian put an arm around Naomi in reply and the group all laughed with congratulatory relief.

"Yes, I have promised to give her more reminders and Naomi has promised to warn me of the Argus… Argus…"

"Argus-sigh." Naomi replied. Amy and Aura both snickered while Damien and Link became bewildered.

"What's the Argus-sigh?" Asked the ever curious Damien.

"It's the bleeding rage in pirate culture that plagues us about every five weeks. Around this time, the pirates should be gathering in large numbers to battle against each other until the rage subsides, or until one is rendered unconscious. I had completely forgotten it was coming up."

"You don't say." Damien responded in an uncharacteristically awkward manner.

"She did." Dune waltzed in behind them. "And it's just as disturbing now as it was before." He noted as he headed straight for the pot of coffee and poured himself a cup.

"Hey Dune," Arian laughed. "Still looking for that pickle jar?" Dune took a moment to recollect a distant memory.

"YES!" Dune pointed towards Arian during his exclamation. The two boys began laughing profusely while the rest of the room remained quiet.

"Gentlemen, gentlemen." Damien cut in. He put an arm around Arian's neck. "I hate to be a downer—there's a war going on… you know, the one with the possible destruction of Hyrule, not the Great Coffee War that has luckily just come to a close. Thank the goddesses, because with you two peacemakers at war… if Link and Amy had decided to hate each other again, we would've been in _Big_ trouble."

"Naomi and I are peacemakers?" Arian asked with an arched brow.

"Who said we don't hate each other?" Link asked casually. Amy smiled contentedly before snatching Link's cup of coffee to pour the remnants into her own cup. She casually returned the empty cup to a very bewildered hero. Amy sipped slowly.

"So the war!" Aura returned them to topic. "What about the war?"

"We have one month." Link answered.

"Before what?" Aura asked.

"Before something bad happens, but with Devoren, you never know what that's going to be…" Damien responded.

"So we'll prepare for everything." Naomi squared her shoulders. Her confidence was contagious.

"Okay!" Damien followed. "Dune, gather the troops."

"But I just grabbed my coffee!"

"Gather the troops, Dune." Naomi reiterated.

"Okay _fine_!" He handed his cup to Arian and stormed out.

"Hey… Hey, Arian… can I—." Link started reaching for Dune's cup, but Arian started downing it before he could say any more.

Link sighed heavily, looking at his empty cup and glaring at Amy.

"I hate you too." Amy smiled indulgently.

* * *

**A/n: Still out there? Like coffee? Then R&R is for you!**


	40. Losing the Lost Woods

**A/n: **After another ridiculous amount of time. We have another chapter. Sorry—one of the authors had to transfer colleges for her major so things got a little crazy for a long while. We hope you guys are still out there and aren't too angry about the obscene amounts of time between postings, but one day, this will be finished, and I will send it to Nintendo and demand they make it into an rpg game. Maybe not, but that would be cool :3

Thank you all so much for your reviews as well. They boost our spirits.

* * *

**Chapter 40: Losing the Lost Woods **

"Wow, I feel like I've been here before." Nit, the fairy of dark power, guided Devoren and his troop through the Lost Woods, just outside of the Kokiri Forest. "In fact, I know this place like the back of my wing!" Nit exclaimed. Skull kid laughed and Jabono, Aura's father, chuckled.

Devoren, Pravumerus, however, remained silent. His form was further changing. The bindings on him were weakening but still present enough to keep him human in appearance, but the magic within the forest recognized him for what he was. Farore's twinkling life-forms avoided him, and even the dark scrubs and other mischievous forest creatures hid whenever he neared.

Devoren halted Jabono and the skull kid.

"Aha! The Forest Temple!" Nit's celebratory exclamation ended their hike. The dark fairy circled about the entrance where Saria, the little forest sage, stood waiting.

"You are not welcome in the forest." The little green-haired Kokiri called out. The tall dark figure smiled sardonically.

"Who's going to stop me? Surely not you, little Kokiri."

Saria paused a moment in concentration. The glowing green power of the forest formed between her little hands.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you, little sage." Devoren warned before his hand beckoned Jabono and skull kid into view. Both were shaking uncontrollably but had stepped forward under the power of his hand. Saria stopped.

"Skullkid… you betray your kind." She chastised and the prankster bowed his head. She then turned to Jabono. "And you are the father of the lost one."

"And you are patron to all lost ones… being keeper of the Lost Woods." Deveron mocked.

"Return the girl's father immediately." Saria demanded.

"What a good idea." Devoren agreed. "But one thing, first." His hand raised and the dark powers devoured the lights before surrounding Saria. She screamed and became still as stone. Her shocked statue held a picturesque position at the Forest Temple's entrance. A little pink fairy fled from behind her. Devoren hurled more dark magic at the fleeing witness, but she escaped him.

"Curses… oh well… no harm done. Fairies are hardly useful creatures anyway." He cast a scathing glance to Nit who had floated closer to the silenced forest sage. Devoren then continued his thought. "Well, Jabono. I do believe it is time you returned to your daughter. In fact, you should present her with a very special gift."

Devoren's hand orchestrated another dark feat—his powers lashed out and withdrew the four poe sisters that inhabited the Forest temple. "I believe you've been keeping something for me."

They twisted, turned and cackled before him, each holding a torch with flames of a different color: red, blue, green, and purple. The flames escaped their holsters and came to Devoren's hand, forming into a sparkling diamond blade with silver hilt.

"Ah, the Phantom Blade." Devoren turned it once and it disappeared in a continuous shine until its path stopped.

"It's beautiful." Jabono noted.

"It is for your little girl, but first, allow me to treat it so that it might stand a chance of killing the beast." Devoren said before running his hand along the crystal blade. His blood dripped across it, turning it from white to a deep red. The diamond absorbed the blood color, but it did not lose its alluring beauty.

"Thank you, she will love it." Jabono took it willingly.

"Give her the blade and remind her of her mission. Then tell her to meet you near the desert once she is finished, so that you may both travel home." Devoren instructed.

"It's been so long since we've been home."

"Good… Skullkid, Nit, go with him and make sure he returns to me safely." The three obliged their master's commands and exited the dark forest, and all three noticed a new silence—the music had become as still as its protector—Saria.

* * *

"Of course! Yes! We don't have to try and figure this out. We can just use bombs!" Aura proclaimed her friend's revelations. Arian seemed excited too while Naomi blushed modestly. The three of them were back outside in Lon Lon Ranch, working on the weapon from the ancient castle scrolls.

"Good idea, Naomi." Dune congratulated. He leaned in and gave her a peck on the cheek. Her eye was now fully healed, thanks to the Lon Lon Milk which really did have mild healing properties that Naomi was now investigating. Arian was oddly not threatened in the least by this display of affection and Naomi merely felt awkward.

The ranch was an active place that afternoon. Damien was again running drills with the soldiers. His loud shouts and orders grated on Aura's nerves. He also, once again, was shirtless and drawing attention from several of the women who had arrived at the ranch recently to help cook and take care of other necessary tasks. Damien had quickly become a favorite among them, and their loud giggling at his arrogant humor drove Aura near the brink of insanity.

Amy was currently brushing Epona and Link played on his Ocarina nearby. Malon headed from the barn, giggling after one of the other girl's jokes. She carried a tray of sweets which she promptly presented to Naomi.

"Here, these are from the girls, for the girls." She said with a smile. Naomi returned the smile and graciously took a treat. "I'm glad to see that your eye has healed. How is your leg?" Malon inquired.

"It's doing great, thank you. The milk really did the trick." Naomi replied as Malon offered the treats to Aura. Arian put his arm around Naomi with a smile. Naomi looked between him and her treat.

"What? Oh! Here." She broke it in two and handed half of it to Arian.

"Oh, I was just giving you a hug, but this is great!" He took it gladly. Dune then sidled up next to Arian and put his arm around him.

"Thanks for the hug, Dune." Arian laughed. Dune continued to stare him straight in the eye. Arian sighed exaggeratedly. "Fine." He broke his half in two and handed the quarter to Dune.

"Good, you all tell me if you need anything else." Malon then moved on to Amy.

"I brought you a treat." She called her attention away from Epona. Amy turned with some surprise and the usual amount of awkwardness.

"Wow… thanks…" She held the cookie and smiled tentatively at the redhead.

"You know, I'm surprised that Epona has warmed up to you so quickly. I'm impressed." Malon mused with genuine awe. Amy looked back over to Epona, who snorted.

"Oh, well we had this weird bonding experience and all…" Amy trailed off, as Link walked over and grabbed her hand holding the cookie, promptly biting off half of the cookie without so much as a warning. He returned to his seat on the barrel. The two girls watched him in baffled silence for a moment.

"I—um. So, what was the bonding experience, then?" Malon queried, shaking off the awkwardness. Amy thought for a moment.

"Well, let's just say it involved a giant fur coat and traversing up an icy mountain."

Malon didn't know what to think about this, but she took a befuddled moment to try and figure it out anyway.

Meanwhile, a little pink fairy flew out from the rays of the setting sun.

"Oh look!" Malon was the first to notice. "It looks like the sunlight is coming towards us." She laughed. Link looked up analytically.

"No… that's a fairy." He was intrigued, but passive.

"What? I don't see it." Amy looked up as Epona stole the last bit of her cookie from her hand. "Hey!" She let out an exasperated moan. "I swear, you two are _perfect_ for each other." Epona whinnied in agreement.

Navi had awoken upon hearing the incoming fairy.

"It's Kyra, Saria's fairy!"

"What? Saria's fairy?" Link stood, now very intrigued and a little worried. Kyra came to them and immediately spouted her knowledge.

"Pravumerus has reached the lost woods." She exclaimed in a surprisingly dignified manner that was uncharacteristic of the other two fairies. "He's captured Saria."

"What?!" Link exclaimed in panic. "Is she alright?" He begged the shaking fairy.

"Saria was… turned to stone. And the whole forest is… the life seems to have gone out. I'm worried about the Kokiri."

"Don't worry little one." Naomi said soothingly, vaguely describing Kyra for lack of knowing her name. "We can offer them refuge in Castletown."

"Kokiri can't leave the forest, Naomi." Link informed her as respectfully as he could.

"What? Why not?" Naomi turned back to Kyra for answers.

"Because the Kokiri draw their life force from the deku tree, who is currently planted within the forest." Kyra explained.

"And I suppose we can't just replant him elsewhere, can we?" Naomi sighed as she cupped her chin in her fingers, delving into thought.

"No, but maybe we can use him to protect the remaining Kokiri." Link said, his worry for Saria drove him to action. "I have to go!" Epona snorted to sound her support.

"I'll go with you. You shouldn't head out by yourself." Amy said.

"Really? You're going with him again?" Damien questioned. He had just taken a break and walked over to them along with their other friends after they all noticed the new fairy.

"Well… I can fly." Amy shrugged.

"Good, Amy can carry you, Link—a horse would be too conspicuous." Naomi suggested.

"Oh what, and a flying girl isn't conspicuous?" Aura asked with an arched brow.

"Well… it's less expected." Naomi defended her position. Navi was circling the pink fairy.

"Kyra and I are going too." Navi announced before taking her place above Link. Kyra swirled in the sunlight before choosing a place near Amy's long brown ponytail.

"Great, now let's move." Link ordered urgently.

"Okay!" Amy yelled with her eyes of glowing fire. The dragon wings emerged from behind her shoulders, shimmering red in the sunlight as they stretched to her full wingspan. Amy lifted Link up and immediately headed out. Their shadow passed over their group of friends and they flew into the sun peaking up over the wall.

"Amy, wait!" Link shouted.

"I thought you said to move?" Amy shouted back.

"The other way! Kokiri forest is the other way!"

"Oh!"

Their great shadow passed over their friends again, this time heading in the proper direction. Naomi sighed.

"This is bad… Devoren has already taken the forest and the Zora's have yet to make a decision." She noted.

"Hey now. This is no time to start being pessimistic." Arian scolded. "We'll be alright, we just have to keep working."

"Actually this works out perfectly." Aura said, capturing their attention with her oddly worded optimism. "I get my own room now."

"What?" Naomi was the first to verbalize the obvious question.

"Well, Link is gone now, and he had his own room, which I am totally taking." Aura announced. "That means you get your own room too, Naomi." Naomi sighed again. She never slept well in her own room. It reminded her too much of a prison when she wasn't accompanied by another, but Aura wasn't accustomed to sharing such close quarters, whereas Naomi was accustomed to one bedchamber filled with one hundred Pirates or more—that or her isolated holding cell. However, she didn't feel like arguing any point about sleeping arrangements while their situation remained tumultuous.

"Okay… If Link and Amy don't send word by tomorrow morning, we're going after them with whatever amount of force we can spare." Naomi announced to the group, looking each one in the eye to verify their agreement.

"I will round up my finest soldiers tonight, my lady." Damien bowed to her in mockery of her demanding nature, but he did support her plan. Naomi crossed her arms with a snide grin.

"The king ought to know what's going on." Naomi said with another sigh.

"Know what?" The elderly, but now healthy voice of Leon spoke from behind them. He had just arrived from the Castle, his beige gelding still saddled beside him. The horse had sweat marks running down its legs and nostrils flared for breath—he had galloped there.

"We have reason to believe Devoren has taken Kokiri forest." Naomi jumped right to business, despite the fact they were all very surprised to see Leon there, but glad all the same.

"That certainly is pressing news." Leon rubbed his gray stubble.

"Link and Amy just went to investigate, but what brings you here, Leon?" Arian asked as he held out an arm to embrace his mentor in welcome. Leon returned this welcome and patted him on the shoulder before relinquishing his reigns to Malon who took the gelding for water in the stables.

"I am here to impart relatively good news, actually." He told them. "The Zoras have sent a representative of their courts to Hyrule Castle, as have the Gorons, and Nabooru arrived safely last night with a troop of dissenting Gerudos. All of the races of Hyrule are now represented and ready to unite against Devoren's army." He told them. "Of course, the best news of all is that Lord Kremel has been removed from his position as royal advisor, and I have stepped in."

"Excellent!" Aura exclaimed. "I always hated that fat little turd."

"Congratulations, Lord Leon." Naomi said with a wide smile. "It's nice to hear some good news for once."

"Yes, well now it's time for me to become the bearer of bad news. I suppose after I finish my message, and maybe grab a drink, I will head straight back to the castle and tell him of Kokiri forest."

"So you have more news?" Damien asked with crossed arms.

"Only that the Gorons and Draconians are going to move some troops here, to the ranch… which means you might want to start dragon-proofing the area."

"So we'll need a barn big enough to house them." Arian immediately noted. "I'll get those brothers on it right away." A family builder group had reported from Kakariko to help renovate Lon Lon Ranch, and for some reason they thought Arian was their contractor or something and would periodically report to him. Arian had not bothered to correct them.

"I'd wait until you have a Draconian representative to help you with the design. One should come before the others arrive and he will help you build." Leon suggested before sighing and looking at the sun's position in the sky. "I just wish I had more time to rest. There's no way I can make it back to the castle before dark unless I leave now… but this message must be delivered."

Leon's urgent statement stirred something in a peculiar bystander. He was a middle aged man, sitting in front of a wooden crate, who was fairly average in appearance, save for the bunny ears flopping from the age-worn hat on his head. This man jumped to his feet and shyly cleared his throat, catching the groups' reserved attention.

"I can take your message there in no time. I'm the fastest man in all of Hyrule, not even your green hero could outrun me."

"Well that's believable actually—of course, I've seen the green hero run." Damien scoffed. "And judging by how those building brothers run, the rest of Hyrule isn't much to talk about either." The bunny-eared man wilted in the wake of Damien's mockery.

"Oh come now, we ought to give him a chance." Naomi beckoned the group under the pitying false pretense that there was something mentally wrong with the man—the bunny ears only further proved her opinion. One of the men from the builder group spoke up in an outrage.

"Come now! This fellow is very fast! Blindingly so! And all of Hyrule knows of his legendary victory against the Hero of Time!" His expression was indignant, and the man in question smiled with pride. Dune stood up as well, ready to defend the man.

"Dude! This guy beat the crap out of me when we raced to the fairy founta—I mean—Arrow… store! Yeah." There was a short pause. Then, other members of the group affirmed this fact, and soon Naomi was swayed.

"Alright… I think it would be good to get more Hylians involved in our plans anyway… Then they can feel like they have a true part in this war." She smiled helplessly while Damien rolled his eyes conspicuously. Leon stepped in.

"Right, then. Damien, write him the scroll. And Arian, I would very much like to catch up with you over maybe a drink?" He raised his gray eyebrows in question. Arian agreed enthusiastically while Damien stared at him incredulously.

"Really? You're going to get the guy who's over a thousand years old to write a manuscript in your new, confusing language?"

"What, you can't read or write in Hylian?" Aura asked in disbelief.

"No, I was just being sassy."

"As you always are." Leon said with a wry smile before turning to follow Arian, who was flanked by the builder brothers.

"Yep. Just like a fourteen-year-old girl." Aura added. She, too, walked away before Damien could reply. Naomi looked around nervously for a moment.

"I think I hear Malon calling me… bye!" She scurried off.

Damien looked to the man with the bunny ears, who was standing beside Dune meekly. The three of them were the only ones left.

"Well, let's go." He ordered grudgingly. He took one look back at Dune, who was currently telling the bunny-hat man a story involving a potato and a cucco. Shaking his head, he continued on, muttering to himself.

"Why do I always get stuck with the weirdos?"

* * *

A very conspicuous shadow zig-zagged across Kokiri forest. Amy carried an obviously discomforted Link.

"This tree?" Amy queried.

"No! The next one, to your right!"

"Over—."

"You missed it again!" Link shouted at her.

"Aaagh, whatever!" Amy yelled before crashing through the canopy.

"So much for subtlety." Navi noted before following them.

It wasn't much harder to find Link's tree house from that point, however, a wooden mesh gate built near the Kokiri training ground gave Amy some trouble. The trouble was getting Link over it, as she didn't see it in time to keep him from running straight into it. He fell to the ground a mere five feet from the safety of his tree house with a giant yell.

"Link! I'm so sorry!" Amy shouted and clumsily tried to swoop back to him. Another complication then arose. Childish shouts surrounded them and a net of vines and rocks covered Amy and brought her to the ground. Kokiri surrounded them, armed with wooden swords, shields, and slingshots. One rather stocky Kokiri boy stepped up to Amy—all of them ignored Link.

"So, you thought you could come in from the sky this time, did ya? Well, I'll have you know we saw you a mile away."

"I'm surprised it wasn't sooner." Link moaned as he stood up and brushed off his tunic.

"Link, um… help?" Amy called from under the net, looking mildly nervous, but mostly intrigued at the surrounding Kokiri.

"Let her go, Mido." Link told the stocky boy. "Surprisingly enough, she's on _our_ side."

"Of course… you haven't changed at all, Link. You haven't spoken in nearly seven years and the first time you do, you once again, undermine my authority." Mido retorted with a sneer.

"Good to see you too." Link replied. Mido's sneer remained on his face, but something about his eyes showed a fondness for the green hero and that he too was glad to see Link. He quickly obeyed Link and released Amy.

"Well it's good to see that you are… uh… prepared? Have you guys already seen Devoren?" Amy asked as she was helped to her feet.

"I don't know who you're talking about, but there have been these strange women here recently. They've been catching us like bottled fairies." Mido replied.

"I resent that." Navi muttered.

"Well we are here now…" Amy comforted. "And we're going to get them back."

"I shall speak with the deku tree." Kyra excused herself and flew off.

"Mido, do you know where the others are being held?" Link asked. The stocky little Kokiri nodded his head and led them towards the Lost Woods with a small troop of armed children.


	41. Phantom Blade

**A/n: Again, sorry guys. You know the drill. Thank you so much for reading… especially after all this time. We promise our writing style is improving… at least we hope it is. Enjoy!**

**Chapter 41: Phantom Blade **

Night had fallen on Lon Lon Ranch and Amy and Link had yet to return. Arian sat in an empty, lantern-lit cellar reading a book taken from the Castle library, partly for research but mostly for pleasure. A shuffle step at the door disrupted him. Aura bounded in absent-mindedly and scrounged for a cup to fill with milk straight from the tap.

"Oh." She stopped her doings upon noticing Arian sitting at the table. "Sorry, I'll be just a second. I didn't mean to interrupt you." She laughed at herself.

"No, it's not a problem. I was actually just stopping for the night." Arian put in his bookmark. "Getting a midnight snack?" Aura finished off filling her cup with foamy milk and nodded as she grabbed a biscuit.

"I always get hungry about this time."

"Yeah, me too." Arian grabbed a biscuit and poured himself a cup of milk as well. The two sat down at the small wooden table fit for no more than three.

"Where's Naomi?" Aura asked, not knowing how else to relate with him. She had never really bonded with Arian, and had only discovered a small bit about his past a few days ago—that he was a slave, and that she was the daughter of a slave owner. Looking at him, a man of boyish features only an inch or two shorter than herself, she couldn't imagine how anyone could have treated him as a slave.

"Upstairs, cleaning, organizing, planning." He grinned. "I'm going to say goodnight to her before bed and make her stop doing work."

"It's a good thing she has you." Aura laughed. Arian smiled and shrugged.

"Eh. I can be the same way when I have work to be done. We look out for each other."

A moment of nodding silence followed. Aura once again noted his innocent appearance, this time catching glimpses of the rigid scar on his arm from that night in Termina a long while ago. He had been afraid of her. She remembered, but even his history as a slave didn't quite clarify that.

"Arian…" Aura started into a question, taking a few breaths to contemplate how she would ask it. "The slave owners… like my dad…where they cruel to people like you?" Arian's face became solemn.

"You were sentenced to death if you didn't complete the work… and often the work itself was a death sentence. I don't know if they intended it to be cruel, but they just didn't care."

"Is that why you were afraid of me… did you know who I was?"

"Yes…" Arian said a bit sheepishly. "You see… before I left Minirith, I had caused… er—done some things I'm not very proud of… and may have ruined the businesses of several slave owners… including your father's." Arian flinched in anticipation of an angry response, but Aura merely nodded her head.

"I probably would've raised hell too… if I had been a slave for so long and then suddenly gained powers like yours."

"Heh… yeah… I just wish my intention had been to raise hell." Arian shuffled uncomfortably in his chair while a reminiscent grin bent his lips.

"Well, what were you trying to do?" Aura asked, this time truly intrigued. Arian averted his gaze, drifting into thought. He licked his lips before nodding with his decision to tell her.

"There was this girl…" He started kind of uncomfortably. "She was a slave too… and I wanted her to run away with me." Aura's eyes widened.

"Arian!" She started. "Does Naomi know about this little… uh… history?" Arian laughed.

"She doesn't need to. Nothing came of it, and now I see the only reason I liked the girl in the first place was because she was Minirith's closest thing to a Naomi… orderly, determined, independent… but at the same time, not even in Naomi's league. I could never get her to go, and she thought my dreams of being free were childish and unrealistic." Arian rolled his eyes. "I guess when I became the beast, it was sort of like a dream come true. I felt like I could do anything—I knew I looked pretty intimidating, but… I thought she really cared about me."

"Oh Arian… you scared her?" Aura's face was now sympathetic. She wasn't sure if she had any unrequited love stories of her own, but the depths of her lost memory left her knowing it was not a pleasant feeling. Arian nodded.

"I gave her a fair warning. Told her I was going to become a terrifying beast—apparently she thought I was kidding or something, because once I changed… she screamed." A blank stare masked his anger at the memory. "She called for help, and the next thing I knew, I was surrounded by guards. In my escape, I practically destroyed three stores of grain and blew up the bomb shop…"

"Wow…" Aura took a moment to digest his story. "Why would she think you were kidding? Who jokes like that?" An amused grimace came to Arian's face while he hesitated to respond.

"Uh… I think she thought I was speaking _metaphorically_ about becoming a beast… since I had asked to see her after hours, she may have thought I wanted to take our relationship to the _next level_… It was a very awkward meeting, now that I recall it…"

"I'm so sorry…" Aura said for lack of a better response.

"It's fine. It got me out of there, and at least now I know that girl took practically everything I said as one big joke… she refused to accept me for who I was... fur and all…" Arian laughed with his last thought. Aura also chuckled.

"Naomi, however, has a thing for fangs and fur I think." She added. "It's rather perfect actually… I think in your beast form, you are the only man as scary as she is." At this the two of them burst into laughter.

A third joined their merry party. Damien, once again shirtless, trounced in for a beer before bed. He grunted a greeting as he tapped into the keg to fill his cup. A long swig preceded a longer belch.

"_Lovely_." Aura noted. Damien nodded his head.

"It's been a long day. These soldiers are in such a dire shape, it's taking all I have to make them battle-ready. And then there's the trouble of making them ready for Devoren. I'm exhausted." He informed them. "You'd better not talk in your sleep tonight, Arian."

"I talk in my sleep?"

"Yes. A _lot_."

"Well I don't have to worry about anything tonight." Aura proudly announced. "I'm going to be in my own room."

"How'd you manage that?" Damien asked with an obvious bite of jealousy.

"She took Link's old room." Arian said.

"Dang. I wish I had thought about that." Damien replied as he scratched himself. Another belch followed. Arian stared at his friend with an amused smirk.

"Don't worry, Damien." Arian said in good spirits. "I have another place I can sleep tonight. I'm gonna go hit the hay now, actually. Good night guys." He picked up his book and started towards the cellar stairs.

"That other place isn't Naomi's bed, is it?" Damien stopped him with his usual hint of sly vulgarity. Aura coughed up some milk.

"Better not be." Aura finally gasped out.

"Don't worry—I'm just going to say goodnight to her. I'm sleeping somewhere else—_by myself_." He continued out of the cellar leaving just Aura and Damien to contend with each other.

"You shouldn't joke like that." Aura scolded him. Damien arched a brow.

"Guys joke like that all the time." He shrugged it off. Aura raised her brows.

"Well in case it's escaped your notice—_I'm a girl_!"

Damien remained calm as he continued to smirk at her. He leaned against the kegs and crossed one leg over the other.

"Oh, I've noticed, but trust me, you don't want me to treat you like a _woman_. At least not like the other women on this ranch." He enlightened her.

"At least treat me like a lady." Aura demanded. Damien stood up straighter and flourished his right arm into a graceful bow.

"My lady, if I may take your leave." He said with such sincere propriety that Aura remained speechless.

"My lady?" Damien cocked his head to the side.

"Okay… never mind." Aura shook her head.

"Thank the giants." Damien sighed as he headed up the stairs. "Good night." He shouted down after another belch. Aura laughed and shook her head before also heading to her bedchamber.

* * *

Naomi yawned, but could not sleep. She sat up and looked over the moonlit bedchamber. It was homey, but empty. Aura's former resting place had been the sofa where the blankets were now neatly folded and stacked. Naomi had taken the floor when Amy had been there to take the bed. She had much preferred a floor in a room filled with friends than a bed in solitary confinement. Naomi sighed.

"This will never do." She stood, lit a small candle, and grabbed a folded blanket and pillow before leaving the bedchamber. The firelight danced in the empty stairwell. Naomi was the only one stirring at this time, at least that's what she assumed.

The door creaked open as she reached the bottom of the stairs. An old man, strange to Naomi's eyes, hobbled inside. Jabono had only just made it to Lon Lon Ranch from the Lost Woods. The dim light and his wearied state hid his resemblance to Aura. He struggled with a heavy travel sack and Naomi was quick to set her things on the table and hurry to help him.

"Oh dear. I'm sorry the lady of the house isn't awake right now, but I can help you as best I can." She told him as she helped him to a seat.

"Thank you my dear." The old man mumbled. "I don't mean to be a bother. I've just come to rest my old bones by the fire." Naomi threw another log onto the burning embers in an attempt to rekindle the day's fire.

"It's rather late for a person to be traveling alone. What brings you here at this hour?" Naomi asked.

"I merely misjudged the time." He said tiredly. Naomi smiled kindly.

"You must be hungry." She turned to head for the cellar. "Let me get you some milk and something to eat."

"Oh, bless you." Jabono whispered. Naomi returned a short moment later with a glass of milk and one of the muffins Malon had made for tomorrow's breakfast. "You are so very kind." Jabono took the food and ate heartily.

"It's nothing, really." Naomi answered considerately. "There is also a spare bed for you. If you walk up these stairs, it's the open door on your right. Feel free to make yourself at home." Jabono thanked her again with a fatherly twinkle in his eye.

"You know. You remind me of my own daughter." He told her. "Well, if only she were a bit less unruly and a bit more… hospitable."

"Thank you." Naomi laughed, taking it as a compliment. "I would love to hear about her, tomorrow. For now I think I shall head to my… _bedchamber_." She said with a wry grin, since she didn't really know where her bedchamber would be at the moment. She had given hers up to the old man. Naomi then yawned and gathered her blanket and pillow.

"Good night, child."

The door shut behind Naomi. Jabono turned to his heavy pack and undid the drawstring. Nit the dark fairy and skull kid stumbled out onto the floor only to be shushed by the old man.

"Quick, we must find my Laura." He grabbed his lighter travel sack and headed towards the staircase. Nit and skull kid passed him by and began traversing through the upper rooms of the Lon Lon ranch house.

"This is like an adventure!" The little dark fairy whispered to her companion.

"Yeah, but we still need to be quiet." Skull kid shushed Nit. They passed through the corridor as quietly as they could. A couple of the doors had light spilling out from underneath them. Skull kid pointed towards the first light door and Nit silently flew under the crack into the room. As soon as the dark fairy was in the room, she hid in the first shadowy corner she saw. The occupant of the room was not Jabono's daughter, however.

Damien sat on his bed, reading a small book with a genuine, albeit small smile on his face. He seemed completely transfixed by the book and didn't notice the small shadowy fairy move towards the door and leave his room.

"Negatory." She murmured to her friend. "Next door!"

After stealthily slipping underneath all of the doors and checking the rooms' occupants, Nit found that none of them fit the description of Laura.

Meanwhile, Jabono had gone outdoors to the center field. The moon was bright and stars were shining, and he knew his daughter wouldn't sleep well without a breath of the warm night air. He wasn't certain she would be out there, but he had a faint hope and that faint hope paid off. His little girl was leaning on the fence in her nightgown, staring up at the stars. After searching for so long and always being just a few moments too late, he could now finally be with his daughter again. His smile deepened, though he knew he would have to approach her carefully. Devoren had warned him of her condition—saying she had been brainwashed by her captors and may not remember her own father.

"Beautiful night, isn't it?" Jabono broke the silence. Aura was startled, but something about him put her at ease. It was a strange familiarity currently unremembered. She welcomed him with a smile and a nod. Jabono approached the fence next to her and stared out in the same direction.

"The sky stretches for miles back home. It's very flat on the other side of the mountains—you can see across a great distance." Jabono started up conversation.

"It's also much warmer." Aura noted. It took her a moment to realize she had remembered something from her past. She turned to the familiar stranger at her side with a look of suspicion. "You—you're from Minirith." She inquired. Jabono replied with a smiling nod.

"As are you, Laura."

Aura stared at the man who knew her former name. The first memory to return was of the recent adventure in the caverns. She knew he had called her once before when she and Damien were escaping from the caverns in Ikana. Upon staring at him, she realized he had called her by name many more times before that.

"Wait… are you… dad?" She said with a brush of excitement at recalling another piece of her past. He laughed and opened his arms just as she began laughing and returned his embrace. He hadn't expected his daughter to remember him so quickly, and her joy at seeing him brought tears to his eyes.

Aura shut her eyes, and in her father's embrace recounted all of her lost memories. A gasp pulled them apart. Aura had remembered everything, her past and her original purpose.

"I found him… I'm friends with him… but he…" Aura gripped her head. "No, it can't be him… but it is, isn't it?"

"You've been brainwashed, Laura. The creature worked some sort of magic on you while you were in the desert. Here, I think this may help relieve his spell." Jabono reached into his pack and withdrew his gift, wrapped in woven cloth.

"No, Arian wouldn't. He doesn't know magic. He doesn't even know how to make a _sandwich_! How could he know magic?" Aura argued deliriously. Jabono thrust his gift into her hands.

"Take it, my daughter. Release yourself from their spell and you will understand." He whispered to her. Her hands accepted it, finding the hilt beneath the wrappings, which fell to the ground to reveal the red, shimmering blade.

"It's the Phantom Blade from the Lost Woods. It's strong enough to break their spell on you, and powerful enough to destroy the beast."

"What? Kill Arian?" Aura asked with a slight shudder. "But he's not… Although he did—why did he? Why would he have done _that_? He _killed_." Laura looked up to her father with a wounded expression. She gripped the hilt of the shining blade as the wound deepened from the memories.

"Yes. He killed him. He killed Orick, and several of our workers. He nearly ruined us… and he ruined you. That's why you went after him. Do you remember everything now?" Jabono placed a hand on her shoulder now seized with anger. His brow narrowed with deep pain and concern for his daughter.

She remembered everything, though their coinciding emotions felt stronger. The anger surged through her, and the painful sorrow ripped her heart in two. It was as though she had lost her love for a second time. Laura gripped the sword even tighter, showing the whites of her knuckles.

"Where is he?" Was all Laura could whisper in her incensed fury.

"I'm not sure, though it's possible he is here somewhere but I have not seen him." Her father replied sternly but sympathetically.

"I will hunt him down." She said mechanically with a voice uncharacteristic to her nature.

"I don't blame you. I couldn't stop you before, and I know I can't now." Jabono permitted her with the bow of his head. "Meet me outside the walls once the deed is done. I will wait for you and take you home."

Laura nodded and headed back to the ranch house to collect her things and hunt the beast with the Phantom Blade in hand.

Before Jabono had thought to search outside, Naomi had found a suitable resting place—the barn floor. She had stepped through the doors and latched them behind her, sighing happily after hearing the deep, snoring breaths of the animals within the stalls. These noises brought her comfort. Whenever thrown into solitary confinement at the Pirate Fortress, she could hear no breathing but her own and could never sleep.

Naomi tiredly curled up on the floor between the stalls. While the smell was atrocious, it could never be worse than the acrid smells that blew into the fortress on the warm spring days after the eels battled for the best mating burrows, leaving the weakest to die upon the merciless sea and rot in the warm saltwater. In fact, the smell of a barn floor was much preferred to that.

She had fallen into sleep the moment her head met the pillow, not realizing that the creaking of the barn doors had awoken someone from a nightmare. Arian had been tossing and turning in the loft above her, dreaming of things that had been that haunted him still. The loud thud of the wooden latch had woken him from these nightmares, and since a loud thud in a barn filled with large animals wasn't of much concern, Arian had merely found himself distressed from the dreams, and only the dreams.

He rolled to his knees from his straw bed and wiped his face, deciding a walk might steady his racing heart. It was then that he noticed her, by scent first. While the smell of barn assailed the senses, Arian could also faintly smell the fresh rain and sweet coffee smells that constituted his opinion of Naomi's scent. He looked down and saw a curious lump of a white blanket in the middle of the stalls, and while he was confused, he knew it would be her.

"Naomi?" He called gently after quietly descending from the hayloft. A tired moan answered him followed by a fleeting, sleepy glance before Naomi curled up tighter and tried to return to her dreams. He laughed before nudging her shoulder and calling her name again to reawaken her. A frustrated groan replied and she drew the sheet up over her head.

"Naomi. What are you doing here?"

"_Sleep_." Her strained voice sounded from under the sheet.

"I can see that, but why?"

"I couldn't sleep in the house. The room was too quiet." Naomi replied as Arian pulled down the sheet to better hear her. He smiled and shook his head.

"Too quiet? Really?"

"Aura and Amy are gone and I need to hear someone breathing. I just… it helps me sleep…" Naomi rubbed her eyes and turned to face Arian, giving up on sleeping until he went away.

"Okay." Arian laughed, accepting her strange preference. "But I don't want you lying on the barn floor." He scooped her into his arms. She groaned again. "There's some hay up there. It's much softer, and I made a nice bed of it."

"Thanks." Naomi mumbled, drifting off to sleep in his embrace as he scaled the ladder to the loft.

He laid her down in the soft hay, looking fondly at the moonlit contours of her chin and neck. His fingers delicately brushed a strand of hair from her face and tucked it behind her ear. Naomi's eyes blinked open into a half-lidded gaze.

"Thank you." She said again in a hoarse sigh. He replied with a kiss while his hand rested in the crook of her neck, entangled in her hair. They continued to kiss under moonlight and in the hay until a strange noise caught both of their attentions. The two of them, now relatively awake, could hear the door sliding open, just far enough for someone to come through.

Arian picked up his head up and cocked it to the side. Naomi remained silent for a moment as well.

"I'll go see what that is." Arian decided in a whisper, keeping his voice quiet in keeping with their current tone of intimacy. "Stay here and get some sleep." He kissed her again before sliding away from the hay, causing a light rustling of the loose straws. Naomi nodded, but her eyes watched him walk to the ladder. She wanted him to come back. Her cheeks were flushed and heart pounded, as it did every time his lips touched hers. She waited until his head disappeared to stir, using her pirate's training to silently step out of the straw bed and to the edge of the loft.

Naomi didn't want to take her eyes from him for one minute. She watched him descend the ladder. He jumped the last three rungs before walking with that scuffle step of his. When Arian was tired he hunched forward in his walk, creating a slight swagger.

He checked the stalls to make sure the animals were all still present and sleeping. Naomi watched him and all his subconscious mannerisms with a warm smile.

After seeing all was well and quiet in the barn, Arian casually headed towards the open door. He judged it just large enough for maybe a dog to squeeze through. 'Naomi must have forgotten to latch the door,' he thought to himself, looking around for one of the small scruffy dogs he presumed had nosed its way inside. He looked outside just to be sure no animals or persons were skulking about, and when he saw that no one or thing was in sight, pulled his head back in and pushed the doors closed. He swung the wood block back into place before sensing something strange.

A horse whinnied, Naomi screamed, Arian turned, and a crystal blade skimmed his chest and sliced into the wooden door now at his side. Laura quickly withdrew the blade to stab at his heart again, but Arian fell to the ground and hunched over his wound.

Naomi, having jumped from the loft, rolled to her feet and quickly approached the shadowy aggressor. She could barely see the sword save for the dim reflections of moonlight, but the sword was not her target. Naomi reached the assailant's arm that bore this invisible weapon, and with a quick twisting motion, redirected Laura's attack away from Arian.

The two girls struggled. Naomi slammed Laura into a stall door, spooking the horse inside. Laura thrashed with inhuman strength, but Naomi was finally able to pry the weapon away from her. It clattered on the floor just as the barn doors flew open. Malon and her father had been awoken by the screaming animals, and now stood before them with lanterns lit.

Malon screamed as Naomi's fist slammed into Laura's face with an audible crack. Laura went rigid for a moment before falling to the floor. The lantern light revealed her identity and Naomi froze. Anger and shock mingled with grief from the betrayal of a friend, and it momentarily kept her from action, but Arian's call pulled her back to reality.

She ran to his side and looked up to the others.

"Help me get him inside. Hurry!" She ordered them. Talon ran to help her lift Arian as Malon looked mournfully upon Aura.

"And what about, Aura?" She asked. Naomi shuddered.

"I don't care…" She replied coldly with a hint of a sob.

**A/n: Cliff Hanger :O please review and let us know you are still out there. We took another long planning period, so chappy 42 is all laid out. We get back to you soon :D**


	42. The Dark Grip

**A/N: So our patterns are becoming predictable, although I do believe its college and the fact that neither of us are English majors that is to blame for our lack of writing. That and us constantly blaming writer's block, but I recently heard a good lecture by the author Taffeta Chime who quoted Ray Bradbury's method of writing. Basically, you have to make an appointment with yourself to write a particular amount of words. It's quantity verses quality at this stage, and you use editing to mold your words into quality. There is no such thing as writer's block. It's just self-doubt. **

**I'm going to try and stop doubting myself but I hope you all keep reading despite our ability to write in a timely fashion. **

**Chapter 42 is finally up. I hope the quality is still up to par. Thank you all so much for reading.**

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* * *

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**Chapter 42: The Dark Grip**

The night was turning to the misted dawn, but still had not lifted from Lon Lon Ranch. It was only a few moments after Arian had been spirited to Damien's room for the bed. The soldier, normally roguish and composed, quickly and worriedly obliged, looking with great concern upon his bleeding friend. Naomi franticly cleansed the wound and applied the last of the red potion. Arian coughed after drinking, but the desired effect did not take place.

"What happened?" Damien choked out as Naomi began thinking of other remedies, still with the faint hope that the red potion would magically kick in as it usually did.

"It was Aura…" Malon explained, for Naomi was unusually silent. Her eyes shimmered like glass, fighting back tears as she mechanically tended to Arian. Damien ran his hands through his hair in disbelief. His mouth gaped open and he stared at the now mournful red head. "She's still in the barn…" Malon said, hoping to turn his bewildered gaze of distress away from her. It worked. Damien immediately grabbed his sword and ran out of the room.

He burst through the barn doors to find a strange old man encroaching on Aura, lying motionless on the ground. Damien drew his sword. The sound of scraping metal stopped the old man in his tracks, and the glowing light from Sol Reprisal forced him a few awed steps back.

"Don't touch her!" Damien stepped between him and Aura, suddenly noticing the red, shimmering blade on the ground. "What is that?" He asked the old man, though he could sense the dark power it held.

"It was a gift." Jabono answered him with his hands held up in surrender.

"From who? You?" Damien beckoned with a snarl and raised voice. He already suspected the old man of giving her a blade poisoned with hate and came upon him with his sword. Jabono trembled and fell to the ground just before skull kid jumped out of the stalls, coming between him and Damien. A white flash knocked Damien back and momentarily took his sight. When he blinked his vision back, he saw that the old man and the skull kid had both disappeared, but the sword remained and Aura moaned beside it.

He took a saddle blanket from the wall and wrapped it around the blade, careful not to make contact. Tying the covered sword to his belt, he bent down scoop up Aura in his arms. She hung limply and breathed in shallow gasps. He held her to his chest, the worried expression still imprinted on his brow.

"Don't worry." Damien whispered. "I'll take care of you… my lady." He added with a smirk.

* * *

"Yep. This is as old as they get. Forest children are eternally eleven and always adorable." Navi explained to Amy in an aside.

"Hm… eleven was my awkward stage." She noted with an arched brow.

"Was?" Navi added and Amy passed the blue fairy an icy stare. She, along with Link, sat inside one of the tree homes of the Kokiri. After the initial misunderstanding between them and Amy, Link's dragon-transport, they had warmly welcomed the two of them into Mido's stump of a home where they had begun briefing each other of the current troubles plaguing Hyrule.

Mostly Link had listened to Mido's worries, which were rather insignificant when compared with what he and little Kyra knew.

"Gerudos have taken over the lost woods. We can't reach the sacred meadows anymore." He announced with crossed arms. Link nodded with a show of concern, although he was grateful none of them could make it there, seeing how Devoren had already overtaken Saria. The other young Kokiri wouldn't stand a chance against him.

"Do you think they know where the village is?" Amy asked.

"I'm sure they do by now. They've been snooping around the whole forest. It's like they're immune to the _lost_ part of the _Lost_ Woods!" Mido's pig-tailed sister exclaimed.

"Then why haven't they attacked?" Amy turned to Link to direct the question towards someone who knew a little more about Devoren. Link scratched his chin.

"They may be waiting for something." He suggested.

"Like what?" Amy wondered out loud.

"You." Kyra, Saria's pink fairy, answered confidently. "He must have known you would come, Link." Amy stood quickly to look out the window, finding that she had to bend over in order to see out of the woodcut opening. She sighed at how giant she felt among the Kokiri. She already felt fairly large around Naomi and Arian, who were both small in stature—Naomi's slender form especially.

"No, if they were after us, wouldn't they have attacked by now?" She asked while hunched over. She couldn't see any sign of danger. Link bashfully looked away from her backside, curved in the unintentionally provocative bend. Amy then straightened up and cracked her back and neck before grunting and looking back to the group.

"Wouldn't you think?" She shrugged her shoulders while they stared at her.

"They can't get near the village. I have Kokiri standing guard at all entrances to lead them astray if they come near. We'd know if they approached." Mido answered. "The forest is still on our side."

"Yes, but the forest spirit has been taken…" Navi shuddered.

"Saria." Mido uttered worriedly and Link passed him a curious glance. "Yes, I've suspected she was the forest sage for many years now, and seeing Kyra now is further proof to my suspicion."

"So does that mean the forest is still…er… on our side?" Amy asked without complete knowledge of what it meant for the forest to choose sides in the first place, but she figured that it would be a rather important factor considering they were surrounded by it.

"It means the forest is now controlled by the enemy…" Mido's older sister revealed with her little hands clasped tightly together over her chest.

"We must speak to the deku tree!"

"Will that… help?" Amy subtly asked Link, a little worried about their desires to speak to trees.

"He's the only protector of the Kokiri now… and yes… he talks back."

"Why am I not surprised?"

* * *

A great owl perched upon a cleft, deep within the forest where no one could find him without already knowing where he sat. The old man of mysterious ways sat near to him upon a broken tablet. They both stared out across the canopy at the reddened dawn. Storm clouds were blocking the blue skies, leaving the horizon red and grey.

"It seems your successor has been taken, Kaepora Gaebora, but there is still another who can take her place."

"The other was always meant to take her place." The owl hooted firmly. "I could sense it from the moment he left the lost woods. I've been with him for so very long and witnessed his strength. He can succeed where I failed."

"You did not fail, Kaepora Gaebora. The betrayer is to blame."

"And he in turn would blame us."

"And you would be a fool to believe it." The old man calmed the troubled owl. "He wanted to be more than an equal which made him succumb to the power of Pravumerus. If he had not been consumed by pride, the life force of the other four would not have been needed to bind both him and Pravumerus."

"We knew not what it meant to become sage at that time. Now I understand, it entails a complete self-sacrifice."

"And that's what it will take to finally put Pravumerus to rest." The old man affirmed with a foreboding tone. He looked back to the reddened vista. The owl spoke again.

"The four… they need you now. One of them is dying. You again must forfeit your neutrality."

"I think I'm just going to stop calling it neutrality and call it what it is—faith in the living to handle their own messes… this however is a bit beyond them and therefore I'm forced to step in and give them the proper tools." The old man groaned as he stood and adjusted his back.

"So you're stepping in?" The owl ruffled his feathers.

"More like, hobbling." The old man corrected as he grabbed his cane.

"Would you like a ride to the bottom of the mountain?" The owl offered.

"Aw, no thank you, Kaepora Gaebora. I'll take my time. This way I'll get there only a few moments before it's too late."

"Okay. I'm surprised." Amy said while staring at a cow. Neither Link nor Navi took the time to explain the presence of a cow in Link's tree house so Amy let it go, patting it kindly on the head.

She and Link had returned to his place after conferencing with a ten-foot tree. Amy was astounded by exactly how important trees were to these people. The trees on her island had been scrawny little things only good for bearing a few coconuts and some juicy mangos whereas here trees were dwellings and apparently leaders.

The conference with the deku tree had lasted for three hours and it was now nearing nightfall, but it was evident that Link did not intend to sleep that night. He was rummaging through his home supplies and restocking. It was during this rummaging that Link opened a wall cabinet to reveal a mass supply of empty glass bottles. Amy stopped petting the cow to comment.

"Woah, do you collect glass bottles or something?"

Link sighed. This time he would have to respond, despite his rush.

"They're really useful, and rare to come by." He replied quickly and took a couple off the shelf. "I can carry six, how many can you carry, you think?" He handed one of the bottles to Amy. It was twice the size of her hand.

"What? I don't even think I have room for one in my bag, let alone six." Her wide-eyed exclamation brought a smile to Link's face.

"I guess not everyone was raised with… the Kokiri secret." He shrugged. Amy became very intrigued.

"Kokiri secret?" Amy arched a brow.

"We should show her." Kyra perked up, flying in a pink swirl around Amy. Link grew a mischievous grin and Amy a dumbfounded expression.

While Amy learned a secret of the forest children, Devoren was busy rounding up the guardians of the forest temple and adding them to the ranks of his dark army. They were fierce warriors who chose no side but the forest. With large spears held tight in their powerful arms, these human-like monsters normally walked the passages of the earthy maze that separated the forest temple from the sacred meadow.

Not even they could resist the powerful influence of Pravumerus. Now the large, hulking beasts trudged past Devoren and his men, their forms slowly being consumed by the black veil that marked Devoren's magic. All around them, the vines and trees were withering, and the ever-floating particles of light were fading away.

The forest was dying, but a faint glimmer of life followed in the slow going wake of the old man. He came upon Devoren in the forest on his way to the troubled ranch, stopping his long trek to lean on his cane and gaze sternly upon the most feared being Hyrule had yet seen.

"I see a millennia in solitary confinement has done little to change your agenda, Pravumerus." He called with a great amount of dignified authority. Devoren knew without seeing who had called him. He laughed.

"To change it, no, but it has done much to improve it. Your petty little tricks will not fool me this time, Probonum." He turned to face the old man, Probonum. Link's perfectly mirrored face contorted into such a demonic smile that no confusion could be made between the hero and the villain. Pravumerus bore his true self before the ancient man. "And I see you have done little to change yourself. Still appearing in the shape of an old man, so pitiable and frail."

"Yet very approachable and most inconspicuous." Probonum smiled, amused by his own self. "I understand you still favor the youthful. Feel fortunate that the man to step in your mirror was young and handsome."

"True. There could have been worse forms to be trapped within, but better worse in appearance than be as meddling as this young man."

"Do I sense concern in your tone?"

"Concern? Hardly. Irritation is more like it. You shall see, just watch like you always do. You give your gifts but do nothing. These creatures are in need of a master, and no longer of a creator nor a giver."

"True, they no longer need a creator, nor a giver. Now they are the creators, the givers, and the masters."

"So where does that leave us, old man?" Devoren, the ancient being Pravumerus, scoffed.

"As friend…" The old man let a silence pass as he watched his words fall unheeded upon Devoren. "Or foe…" He ended his thought.

Devoren was neither impressed nor enlightened by his ideologies, but time left no room for remark as Probonum, the old man, needed to continue his journey to Lon Lon Ranch and Devoren had to deal with his newly arriving minions. The skull kid and Nit had just returned with Jabono in hand, and their noisy entrance distracted Devoren and gave Probonum time to silently vanish.

This only further angered Devoren, being the appropriately irate villain that he is. He directed his villainous glare towards his three irritating minions who cowered before him.

"Was it delivered? Is he dead?" He asked haphazardly while looking for his ancient rival.

"Dying, my liege." Jabono replied with his face to the ground and his shoulders hunched over, shuddering.

"And what of the girl? Your daughter? You were supposed to bring her to me!" Devoren shouted, his rage unaffected by the previous affirmation. The skull kid decided to speak up for his new friend.

"One of the others prevented her from coming. It was the once stone soldier you spoke of." At this Devoren roared and his black horse, Fear, whinnied. An awkward deku scrub scuttled across the background of this villainous scene. The treachery of their calls echoed throughout the woods.

"Did he recognize the blade?" Devoren asked in a shout.

"I don't know, my liege." Jabono answered as he cowered.

All were silent for a moment as Devoren absorbed the information and developed his plans accordingly. The deku scrub scuttled back to the other side from which he had originated. The anxiety within the silence instilled more fear within its listeners than did the great roar, however, its echo reached the ears of the Kokiri forces currently leading Link and Amy through the still secured portions of the forest.

"Devoren." Link said with a snarl. "That must be where Saria is. We have to hurry." He began to run. Amy glanced at the young Kokiri troops behind her, motioning for them to stay put before taking off after Link. Something about their size and innocent stares brought up her motherly urges, making her want to protect them as opposed to use them to fight evil.

The Kokiri remained at the beginning of the lost woods and Link led Amy through a series of twists and turns, stopping occasionally to peer around the corner at a redheaded guard. It was now near impossible to distinguish between Gerudo and Pirate, but either way, one shot from his arrow would render them momentarily unconscious. Amy was quite impressed by his shooting. She had tried to shoot an arrow once, a long time ago, and Daruitha had still yet to forgive her for the scar under her left eye that had resulted from that attempt.

"_Do you know where we're going?_" Amy whispered after the third time Link made an abrupt turn. He merely nodded his head. Amy growled under her breath. A nod was not enough to reassure her. Again to her surprise, Link noticed and whispered back, "_The way the echo sounded—I've followed sounds like that before. They're in the sacred meadow._"

Amy didn't ask any more questions until they came upon an opening just before an eerie labyrinth carved into the forest's hills. Link stopped her here. He looked up upon the hilltop with a thoughtful stare before pulling out his ocarina.

"_Are you crazy?_" Amy queried with a hushed voice. "_If Devoren is anywhere near here, he'll hear you!_"

Link played a group of peculiar notes despite Amy's warning. He then pulled out his hookshot and wrapped his arm around her waist.

"Oh, um…" Amy looked at him awkwardly, a blush spreading across her cheeks. "This is uh—." A scarecrow burst forth from the ground on the hilltop and Link released his hookshot into its side, pulling himself and Amy to the safety of higher ground just as Devoren's creatures peered around the corner in reaction to all the noise.

They saw nothing as Link and Amy hunched down close to the earth. The scarecrow danced, which was very odd and a bit frightening. He was ignored by Devoren's henchmen, and even when Devoren himself appeared in the small meadow before the labyrinth, the dancing scarecrow was apparently still inconspicuous.

"I heard an ocarina!" Amy and Link heard Devoren yell. "Spread out and find him." Amy pulled Link back to hide on the other side of the hill. Her gut was telling her that it wouldn't be long before Devoren gazed up in response to the sound of swishing hay in the dancing scarecrow's arms. She was right. Devoren glared at it, but without much suspicion. There were stranger things that danced in this forest.

"_Uh, thank you_?" Amy whispered to the scarecrow. She figured she ought to be polite, even if the thing really freaked her out.

"_Oh, oh yeah. You play that tune, kid, I love it!_" The scarecrow whispered back. Amy flinched a little before turning to Link.

"_Let's go. I'll bet Saria is that way._" She said. Link nodded, glad to have her on the same page for once.

The two climbed nimbly across the labyrinth, only jumping when it was certain no one would see them. Even though Link had reassured Amy that the large creatures lurking below them rarely ever looked up, they took great caution and made it safely to the other side of the labyrinth. Devoren's rough bark could be heard from their perch.

"I told you to bring me the girl."

"I could not, my liege. I told you, the guard protected her—."

"Enough excuses! With the boy disabled and her trust questionable, it is enough for me to work with, but I am certainly done working with pathetic creatures like you."

Link and Amy glanced at one another, both with wide-eyed worry that foretold a courageous drive to action.

"My lord, no! Please!" Upon the mystery man's first plea, Amy and Link simultaneous jumped from their perch, swords drawn and began running recklessly down a narrow pass towards the sacred forest meadow. Link rolled clear of a large blow from a giant ogre's club before righting himself and plying several mighty thrusts into the creature's side. It fell and Amy jumped over its fallen form to follow Link up a staircase to where the air was becoming charged with a dark energy.

The two of them saw an old man huddled in a corner as Devoren stood before him with his hands raised, summoning the dark powers that now stifled the life of the forest. Link ran at him with his blade raised, but Devoren was smart. He turned his mighty powers on Link just as he came close. Link held the now blackened Master Sword on guard. The legendary blade took the blow, but Link could feel the strain upon it. He feared it might break, but he held firm nonetheless as Amy circled their confrontation to help the old man. She pulled him to his feet and out of harms way, or at least where she felt less exposed. Devoren's attack of darkness ended, and the Master Sword prevailed. He snarled at Link.

"Kill them all!" Devoren yelled to his minions. Mythic beasts, Hylians, and Terminians alike began swarming in. The black horse, Fear, spotted Amy and charged, ready for another round. The look in his eyes revealed his identity. Amy shuddered as he neared, but held up her blade. She stood between the black creature and the cowardly old man. She took a swing as it approached, but its blow knocked her back as well. She began to slowly pull herself back up with a groan as Fear rounded for another, probably more devastating charge. Amy would have been done for, but another creature jumped in to help her.

Amy opened her eyes to see the skull kid wielding a peashooter of sorts that snapped with a great light as it accurately hit the steed, Fear.

"Thank you!" Amy ran to his side before fighting off a Gerudo. She saw Link battling across the way, and knew that this was a lost cause. They needed to flee.

"Link!" Amy called in between fighting off opponents. Her eyes shined a yellow light and dragon wings burst from her back. Tendrils of smoke curled from her snarling lips. "Link! We have to go!" She yelled again, though this time her voice echoed in an effeminate roar, demanding but beautiful. This captured Link's attention, but as his gaze shifted towards her, he saw another horrifyingly beautiful sight. There was a lifeless but conscious statue of his dear friend, Saria, standing on a cleft above where Amy stood. His heart sank, and his gaze couldn't break from this terrible sight, not even with Amy's continuous calls.

"Link! Look out!" She tried again, but she could see that he was too preoccupied. Another rage burned within her as she saw Devoren advancing upon a rather unwary Link.

"LINK!" She shouted and screeched, the rage boiling up within her and consuming her body with fire. The fires ran from where she stood and encircled Link, blocking Devoren from continuing his advance and snapping Link from his trance. He looked back to Amy.

"We have to go. Now!" She demanded with a confidence that Link had yet to see in her. Link ran towards her as Devoren sliced through the fires with his blade. With a stone cold façade, Devoren marched towards them. Amy gathered the old man and skull kid to meet Link halfway. They stood upon a grey pedestal bearing the symbol of the forest. The fires kept all enemies temporarily at bay.

"I don't think I can carry everyone!" Amy's normal, stressed in times of crisis demeanor returned, but Link now had an idea.

"Don't worry! Hold on to me!" He told her and the others. No questions where asked, not even when he pulled out his ocarina with Amy's arm on one shoulder, the old man quivering on one of Link's legs and the skull kid holding the other.

Tunes of light and a lofty joy silenced the chaos that surrounded them. Devoren's dark and sinister visage disappeared into beams of light before they all felt themselves being sucked into something that may have been far too small for them all, but just before the discomfort became unbearable, the group of four found themselves gasping on the floor of the Temple of Time. They stood upon another grey pedestal, this one bearing the symbol of light.

"Don't worry, you're safe now." Amy said to both herself and the old man after regaining some of her bearings. The old man was crying.

"But your friends, they are not. I am so sorry. I knew not what I was doing." He sobbed. Amy let him cry at her feet, feeling as though she should kneel but finding that he was in the way of such an action. She rather gracelessly regained her balance while Link asked the obvious question.

"What do you mean?" The doors of the temple burst open. The Princess Zelda ran towards them as though she had expected them all to be there. The greatest concern wrinkled her brow.

"Link! Arian is dying!"

* * *

**A/n: It's winter break after this week and I will begin implementing making appointments with myself to write. Please hang in there and in the mean time, listen to some of the artists I worked with either in the studios or other side projects. I'm (Amy C) a Recording Industry Major and this semester I clocked around 150 hours in the studio, 75 hours working in the audio maintenance shop and took 17 hours of classes. **

**This one my friend recorded but I like it: .com/track/no-bones**

**I re-recorded and helped fully produce "Orpheus" and "Little Things" by this artist: /stacimariecarriere**

**I produced (in 4 hours) track 14 by the band Seeing Skies: "**Christmas Medley (Silent Night, Noel, Away in a Manger)" on this album: .com/cd/ultimateduo

I'm co-writing a fairytale script with this artist who is writing music for it: /johnnadaymusic/music

I really just like her music.

I plugged "I Dream of Going Home," her un-mastered x-mas songs into a short film. I'm going to re-record it in a studio next semester: /desireelblevins

This may seem like a shameless plug, but I'm just really proud to have worked with or even to know personally these artists. I hope you enjoy them too if you get the chance. None of them are signed, but I really like them and think they should be.

Happy holidays everyone. Again, sorry for the delay


	43. The Kingdom

**Chapter 43: The Kingdom **

The last thing she remembered was seeing Arian's boyish and confused expression. Aura now laid in bed. Her head hurt. She tried to put a hand to her brow but found them to be bound tightly with rope. A lonely candle lit the room where she was bound and tied to the bedpost. She sighed, feeling more downcast than panicked. Aura hated waking up without knowing what had happened.

After another deep breath, she sat up and concentrated, trying to remember the past just like she had done the last time she had woken up in such a state. This time came with more luck than she had in Gerudo valley months ago. Aura remembered Damien, Naomi, Link, Amy, and Arian although she wondered why his expression was the last thing on her mind. She became worried. The hurt confusion in his narrowed eyes indicated betrayal, and possibly pain.

A sword shined in the candlelight. The blade was a blood red diamond with hilt of silver. Aura shuddered. The pain in her head increased as the memories rushed back. All of them returned. Her own heritage, the pain of what Arian had done, then the joy of becoming his friend, and finally what she had done. She remembered Naomi and couldn't imagine the pain that one of her now closest friends must feel.

She began to sob and thrashed against her bindings but they remained strong. Aura sat up against the backboard and curled her knees to her chest as she heaved stuttered breaths between tears. The door burst open and Damien ran to her. Without a word or even a question he sat at Aura's side and put an arm around her to hold her tight.

"_What have I done_?" Aura sobbed out. She wiped her tears on his sleeve.

"Exactly what you remember, but it wasn't your fault. The sword was cursed."

"But my father. He gave it to me." Aura looked back at the sword with teary eyes. Her bound hands were gripping Damien's tunic. "Where is he? Where is Arian? Is he—" A sob broke through her last words just as Naomi appeared at the door. The same expression of patient suffering had been on her face since the incident. She crossed the room and sat on the bed at Aura's feet. Naomi placed a comforting hand on her knee and one could see that she wished to console her as well, but her own sorrows were too overwhelming. Aura grabbed Naomi's hand and held it close.

"Naomi, I'm so sorry." She cried. Naomi wiped a tear from her friend's eye but more streamed down Aura's face behind it.

"Damien, Aura… Naomi." Link appeared in the door behind them, calling each of them in a more delicate tone than he normally would use. Naomi quickly reacted and pulled a dagger from her satchel to free Aura from the rope bindings before turning to greet Link with a delicate nod and then left, going down the stairs. Link looked to Damien for answers as Aura had begun crying again.

"She hasn't spoken since… well, Arian… he's been stabbed."

"By me, it's all my fault!" Aura interjected. Damien gripped her tighter.

"It wasn't just you. It was the sword. It was Devoren." Damien explained as Link caught sight of the blood diamond blade. "Only Devoren would have known where this sword was, and only he would know how to curse it so as to turn pain to irrational hate."

"But Arian, he's not dead yet. Is he?" Link asked the pertinent question. Damien shook his head.

"Not yet, but the red potion didn't work. Tatl's with him now, trying to sustain his life while he sleeps, but nothing Naomi's doing is working."

Naomi had gone downstairs to make tea, only as something to do. She often wouldn't even drink her concoctions but instead just let the leaves steep for the smell, which left many small cups of tea just sitting about the place. Amy was downstairs. She Jabono and the skull kid had just arrived and were gathering around the wooden table just as Naomi entered the room. She paid them little attention, save for a short and forced smile to welcome Amy back.

Jabono, though tired and worn from all that had happened earlier in the day, noticed the melancholic stupor that currently haunted the girl and whispered his question to Amy.

"Is she alright? She was… a little happier when I saw her last."

"Yeah… No…" Amy whispered back, her eyes locked on her friend. "The boy… Arian… She and him were—in love."

"In love…" Jabono repeated in a mixture of astonishment and revelation. "I knew I recognized that look of despair… My daughter had looked the same way after she lost Orick…"

"He's not gone yet. He's not. He can't be." Amy snapped at him with a painful uncertainty. Tears started to come to her eyes. Damien and Link were on the stairs, hearing enough to contribute to the conversation.

"He will be, if we don't find out what Devoren did." Damien called sternly just as he stepped onto the bottom floor. His eyes suddenly caught Jabono sitting weakly in a chair. The skull kid shook next to him. "What are they doing here?"

"Devoren was going to kill them. We couldn't just watch them die." Amy defended. Link entered after Damien. He was shocked by the amount of emotion in her voice and felt the need to stand by her side. While he meant to place a comforting hand on her shoulder, he decided against it and therefore just passed her an awkward smile when she looked questioningly towards him.

"Dad." Aura came to the bottom of the stairs and ran to her father. "I'm glad you're safe."

"I'm so very glad you are too. I was worried I had let Devoren send you to your death. His plan had been to set you against each other, and after what happened, I am surprised to see you alive. A true testament to your friends."

"I would never let anything happen to her." Damien said with stone conviction, leaving Aura astounded and speechless. "Now you have to tell us what Devoren did to the blade."

"I don't… I don't know… He told me the blade would be able to destroy the beast with just a breaking of the skin, but I don't know what he did."

"Can you not remember anything?" Damien pushed.

"No… All I can recall is that when he pulled it from the Forest Temple, it was a crystal clear diamond, but once he touched the blade, it became the red it is now. That's all I know."

Malon interrupted their conversation as she frantically ran down the stairs.

"Tatl is calling. She doesn't know how much longer she can keep Arian alive and he's not waking up." A moment of silence struck the room. A loud crack of broken ceramic brought everyone's attention to Naomi. She hadn't moved, but had dropped the cup of tea. She was crying, sobbing in the most peculiar and painful way they had yet seen. Naomi breathed quietly in shallow breaths. No moaning, no wailing, just wide eyes staring at nothing with tears constantly streaming.

No one knew what to do. There was nothing anyone could think to do to help Arian, but no one wanted to go upstairs and watch him die, but no one wanted him to die alone. Naomi clutched her stomach and began to collapse. Amy jumped from her seat to help her, but another arm was already waiting to stabilize her. The old man from the forest had mysteriously appeared and had crept unseen to Naomi's side.

"Now, now dear." He consoled. "Come, take me to him. There's not much time." No one questioned his sudden appearance. All were relieved someone had a course of action. They all followed as Naomi and the old man walked to the stairs.

They entered the near dead silence of Arian's room where he lay completely still. His chest barely moved but his heart was still beating. Tatl faltered as they entered. Her fairy light flickered, showing her exhaustion. Navi and Kyra quickly flew to her aid.

"Where is the blade?" The old man asked. Damien fetched the diamond sword, unquestioningly presenting him with the cautiously wrapped blade. The old man undid the bindings and wiped his hand across the blade. Silver blood dripped over the red diamond, washing out the color like dirt. He took its former wrappings and wiped it clean, leaving the crystal clear diamond and silver hilt glowing in the candlelight.

"Where is his wound?" The old man asked Naomi. Naomi quickly pulled down the covers on the bed and undid Arian's bandages to reveal the black and rotting gash across his stomach. It appeared worse than when Naomi had stitched it and cleansed it with her usual protocol.

She gasped and fell to the floor beside his bed, grabbing his hand and letting the tears fall freely.

"Devoren's blood is the poison, and mine is the antidote." The old man explained as he allowed for more of his silver blood to coat the blade. He placed it across the grotesque wound to create a reaction that Arian clearly felt. The sizzling of the toxins beneath his skin caused all to flinch. Arian began to writhe, clutching Naomi's hand. The old man kept the blade close before twisting it and reopening the wound and administering the rest of the antidote. Arian screamed and Naomi gasped. She began calling his name, the first words she had uttered since he had fallen.

"The wound will heal now. He can be tended to." The old man wiped the blade again as Aura ran to the cupboard where they had gathered more of the red potion.

"Here, Naomi." Aura handed her the potion, which Naomi poured into Arian's open mouth and then upon the open and bleeding wound. The blood boiled away, leaving nothing but healthy skin underneath while Arian coughed red potion out of his lungs. His breathing steadied and he was able to hoarsely speak.

"That was awful." He laid back down on the bed. He looked to see Naomi's tear stained face. "Naomi…" He sat up and pulled her onto the bed to hold her.

"Devoren will pay dearly for this." Naomi said after she sniffed and wiped away her tears.

"I thought he would have something to do with this." Arian smiled at Aura who had timidly picked up the now empty jar of red potion while anxiously staring. He knew it was unlike her to be timid and therefore took her uncharacteristic anxiety as an apology. He smiled his forgiveness.

"I'm glad you're okay." Aura told him.

"I'm glad you are too. The last thing I remembered was seeing Naomi's right hook."

"Same here." Aura laughed.

"I'm happy too." Amy sat on his other side and gave him a hug. Dune, who had been standing in the doorway with Malon, started openly sobbing. His wails caught everyone else's attention and he hid his eyes on a reluctant Malon's shoulder.

"I'll take… I'll take care of him." She mouthed to the group before tending to Dune. "Come now, Dune. Let's get you a kerchief or something…" Now only the old man and the original group remained inside. The door closed behind them and the old man spoke.

"You had to survive, to complete the quest." He started. "Of the four that bound Devoren, there was one of fire, one of water, one of the light and one of shadow. The spirit of Farore holds the key and Din the door whilst Nyru protects the four."

"Um… What? …" Naomi was the first to ask.

"Things that rhyme are easier to remember." The old man explained. "But I do believe that it is time you heard the whole story."

"A long time ago, just after the goddesses departed from this land, leaving the triforce in their wake, the Hylians came to life. It is one thing to live, and an entirely different thing to know you're alive. It was many hundreds of years before the living Hylians developed consciousness, thought and emotions. These three things were gifts of the most ancient of beings: The spirit of Good and the spirit of Evil. These spirits battled for attention, one for love the other for obsession. After the spirit of Evil gathered enough followers, he presented himself in Hylian form to lead his people."

"There was a great war, but the spirit of Good could not bring itself to destroy anything His children had created, especially not the creations of His three lovely goddesses. Therefore, he instead blessed the sages of that time with special abilities that would allow them to bind the now physical being of Evil. The original spirit sage created the door using the force of power, the original sage of the forest held the key with the force of courage, and the sages of water, fire, shadow and light were to use their powers and the wisdom of the seventh sage to create his bindings. Unfortunately, the sages were among the human races, being from Hyrule, Draconia, Nynamar, or Minirith, and were therefore susceptible to evil's temptations. The spirit sage fell to the spirit of Evil's call, hoping to increase his own power. Therefore the four sages that created the bindings, waiting for the door to be closed, sacrificed themselves to finish the deed. The forest sage too was destroyed, but all remain today in another form. The four that bound passed on their magic in stones. One stone to each of their respective races, and those stones or the powers once within them are all now gathered again in this room."

The four on the bed each instinctively passed a hand across the stones or remnants they held: Arian the dark stone on his neck, Aura the yellow stones on her swords, Naomi the stone of her Nynian staff and Amy looked upon the markings left on her arms from the red stone of her homeland.

"But, the sages. Don't the stones belong to them?" Link asked.

"They would, if they were the descendents of the original sages. The magic in the stones would only react to one of their own blood, which is why the current sages are prepared to lend you their power, to add to the power of old so that you can once again bind Devoren."

"Only this time hopefully you won't be killed." Another voice entered from the door. It was Nabooru, the young queen of the Gerudos and current sage of the Spirit Temple.

"They won't be. I will be certain of it." Zelda also entered, Impa at her side. Zelda looked to Arian and smiled. "Leon sends you his love. I told him to finish his business at the castle before visiting you, as I had been assured of your safety from a feathered friend." She glanced out the window at the owl perched atop the barn. A great shadow passed over him.

"Come now. We must prepare. I'm not the only one to arrive today." Nabooru said, beckoning for Link and his friends.

"By this afternoon our army will have tripled in size." Impa explained as they exited the ranch house to meet the crowded mess that waited. Malon and Dune had met with it earlier and were currently trying to sort it out. Gorons, Zoras, deku scrubs and Gerudos all amassed in the fields, joining the already present army. Dragons flew overhead, waiting to be signaled to land. The kingdom had united.

A/N:

We're back! Sorry again for the delays but check out what I did using the url below! It's a music video. I was the producer, assistant director, editor, and also appear in the background of various locations! I play the drums :) haha

.com/watch?v=4ysx7Px18s8

I know it's shameless promotion but I just want everyone to know that when Amy and Amy disappear for a while it's because we have become swallowed whole by ridiculous projects like art and architecture or small productions. We never want to give up writing though as it is something we truly enjoy and we're so glad we have readers who enjoy our material. Thank you all :)

*Especially you Wolfdemon2010! ^_^


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